Harry James Potter Dumbledore
by LilyEvansDouble
Summary: When Hagrid finds out how the Dursley's have been treating Harry, he has some complaints that he takes directly to the one that left him there. After examination Dumbledore decides to take Harry himself. How will things be different? CP in some chapters.
1. The Decision

**Author's note: I own nothing. Just having a bit of fun here while I explore what could have happened had Harry gone to live with Dumbledore instead of staying with the Dursley's. This story is rated T for some language, and the fact that there will be corporal punishment in some chapters.**

Hagrid had to take a deep breath to calm himself as he said the password to the gargoyle. He respected the man above anyone else, but seeing Harry treated like that absolutely infuriated him. Honestly, what had Dumbledore been thinking? Leaving poor Harry with people like that? Hagrid didn't care if they were the boy's last living relatives. Keeping the boy safe and not growing up with an oversized ego was one thing, but this was absolutely absurd.

It had taken all of Hagrid's will power to not tear the Dursley's limb from limb in that tiny little shack. Instead he had had to settle with giving the boy a pigs tail. Then Hagrid had taken Harry to Diagon Alley for the day, and his fury had increased even more. Keeping the boy from growing up in a world where he was famous before he could walk and talk had been one thing, but Harry had no idea he was even a wizad. Let alone that he was a famous wizard, his parents had died as martyrs saving him, or that he himself was a bleeding hero. Hagrid had seriously debated just taking the boy with him, but decided he had best just talk with Dumbledore first. That was, if he got much talking done through his anger. Hagrid realized he would just have to remind himself all that Dumbledore had done for him in the past. That was the only way he was going to approach this in any calm manner.

Hagrid took a few more deep breaths before knocking on the oak door, but before he even touched the door he distinctly heard "Come in Hagrid."

"Good evening Professor Dumbledore sir." Hagrid mumbled as he shuffled into the office.

"Everything went well I trust Hagrid?" Dumbledore spoke calmly never taking his eyes off the half giant before him.

"Uh… Oh yeh mean the stone. Yeah, I got it righ' 'ere." Hagrid had almost forgotten about his mission to get the sorcerer's stone out of Gringotts and bring it back to the Headmaster, but he quickly found it in one of the pockets of his moleskin coat and handed it over without another word.

"Thank you Hagrid. I knew I could trust you." There was the familiar twinkle in Albus Dumbledore's eye, but his voice was quite serious as he took the wrapped parcel and placed it on top of his desk. "We will definitely make sure to give that a safe home. That reminds me. Hagrid, would you be willing to lend me Fluffy?"

"Sure Headmaster, but yer gonna wanna be careful. Can be quite a handful he can. Course, yeh jus' 'ave tah know how tah ca'm 'im." Hagrid's mind was so thrown by the current conversation his anger ebbed away temporarily.

"And just how would you go about calming him Hagrid?" Albus Dumbledore knew very well that Rubeus Hagrid had a complete fascination for dangerous creatures. One would not hesitate to call that fascination unhealthy, but Albus did not worry about it too much since Hagrid always seemed to be able to calm, tame, and control these otherwise wild creatures. Therefore he had complete confidence in the man.

"Jus' play 'im a bit o' music and he falls straight tah sleep Headmaster." Hagrid shrugged as if this was common knowledge. Then again, it wasn't every day that you came across a three-headed dog and he guessed that it would be hard to imagine a vicious creature simply falling asleep to the sound of a lullaby. Of course, this was him just guessing since he personally didn't think Fluffy vicious.

"Very good Hagrid, thank you." Albus nodded as he pondered this information, but his gaze continued to watch the half giant. "Now, something is bothering you Hagrid. Would you care to enlighten me as to what It is?"

"Well sir…" Now that he was in front of the man, Hagrid just couldn't bring himself to be angry. After all, maybe Dumbledore didn't know the whole situation. Then again, there was very little that Dumbledore didn't know. "Yeh see, it's 'arry." Hagrid was now struggling to find the words, and he wondered just how to explain how he felt. Especially since Hagrid had no idea how to fix the problem. "'im and those sodding Dursley's." As Hagrid began to think about the Dursley's his anger started to return. "They're jus' awful tah 'im Professor Dumbledore sir. "Don' treat 'im righ' at all. I don' reckon they even feed 'im proper, an' 'e don' know a thing about' our world."

Albus listened to Hagrid explain and steepled his fingers in thought. He knew that Harry's situation was not ideal, but he didn't know just how horrible it truly was. "How much do you truly know of what's been going on Hagrid?"

"Only wha' 'arry told me in the few 'ours I was with 'im sir." Hagrid sighed. At least the Headmaster was listening to him. "Didn' know a thing about' our world. Though' 'is parents died in a bleeding car crash!" He was back to yelling again, but this time his anger wasn't toward Dumbledore. Was sleepin' on the floor of the hut with a the oldes' blanket I ever saw when I found him and it was his birthday. Walks around in clothes 5 sizes too big 'e does, and looks like 'e never gets anything tah eat. Tha' cousin o' 'is is fattened up nice, but no' 'arry."

Albus' concern for the boy grew as Hagrid rambled on about Harry's situation under his aunt and uncles care. When he had left the boy on the doorstep 10 years ago he knew that Harry wouldn't be in an ideal situation, but he had hoped his relatives would care for him at least a little bit. It sounded like the only thing they hadn't done to the boy was physically abuse him. Still, what they had done could be just as scaring. If not more since this damage was done on the inside. "I want to thank you for filling me in on this Hagrid. I can assure you, I was not fully aware of Harry's situation. I will definitely look into it."

Albus had spent the past two weeks watching the Dursley's, and he wasn't completely sure what to make of the entire situation. The Dursley's didn't treat the boy as Hagrid had described. Instead, they just completely ignored him. Pretended he didn't even exist. Nobody so much as looked at the boy, let alone spoke to him. In fact, Harry spent most of his time lounged in the smallest bedroom in the house, reading his school books. Or at the very least, glancing through them. One thing Albus did notice however, was that along with ignoring the boy, his aunt and uncle weren't feeding him. No, instead they expected the 11 year old to just fend for himself. They didn't stop him, but they definitely didn't help him out like true guardians should.

Although the situation was definitely deplorable at best, it was not as bad as Hagrid had led him to believe. At the same time however, a lot had happened since Hagrid had seen the boy, and Hagrid had actually talked to Harry. Was it possible that the situation was what Hagrid had described and the Dursley's had only started ignoring Harry because their son was sporting a curly pigs tail, Hagrid's doing no doubt, and Harry now had a wand and spell books at his disposal? Albus knew he would have to find out more before making his final decision.

Knocking on the door across the street Albus waited patiently. He smiled when an elderly lady opened the door, but frowned when he saw she was leaning on some crutches. "Good morning Arabella." Dumbledore stated politely bowing slightly and kissing the woman's hand. "I'm sorry to disturb you my dear friend, I was not aware that you had been hurt."

Arabella Figg had been quite annoyed at having to get up to answer the door, but once she saw Albus Dumbledore standing on the door step her annoyance vanished. "Not at all a bother Albus. It's always a pleasure to see you. Please, come in." With that Arabella hobbled aside to let her longtime friend enter before shutting the door and following him into the living room. "Don't worry about me Albus." She continued as she sat on her couch and levitated her leg. "I'm an old woman and break easily. Though, I will say that I'll be more careful while around my cats. Of course, first I have to get better and that blasted Dursley boy doesn't help matters by running me over."

Albus shook his head at this last comment. "Would you care for some tea Arabella?" With that Albus waved his wand at the empty tea set on the side table and it filled with steaming liquid. Arabella smiled and carefully took one of the cups before Albus levitated one over to himself. "I am sorry to hear of your misfortunes, but could you tell me what you mean by the Dursley boy running you over? I was unaware that children his age were allowed to drive."

Arabella sipped her tea a moment before responding. "As far as I am concerned Albus, a boy like Dudley Dursley should never be allowed to drive period. It was not an automobile that the boy ran me over with however, it was some kind of racing bike. I imagine he got it for his birthday. Not that he ever appreciates any of his gifts. I'm quite sure he would be bored with it by now, so I will be able to recover easier."

"Ah, I see." Albus sipped at his tea thoughtfully, not at all sure how to approach the situation at hand. "Does young Harry seem appreciative of his gifts at all?"

"Harry doesn't truly have anything to be appreciative of Albus." Arabella looked at him sadly as she sat her tea cup down. "As such, I can assure you that he is very appreciative of any small thing he may receive."

"I see." Albus had to ponder this information for a bit. Did this mean that Arabella thought that Harry's situation was as bad as Hagrid had explained? "What do you think of young Harry's staying with his aunt and uncle Arabella?" Dumbledore decided it would be best to just come right out and ask her. After all, Arabella was a very opinionated woman, and was never afraid to hold anything back.

"I think that it is utter rubbish Albus!" There was no mistaking the disgust and slight anger in Arabella Figg's voice. "I don't care if they are the only relatives the boy has. No child should have to put up with a cousin twice his size picking on him while he is expected to do all of the chores. Up until Hogwarts started sending those letter's to him he was forced to live in the tiny cupboard under the stairs, and was barely given enough to eat to keep him alive. If he misbehaved he was locked in that cupboard for weeks on end, not allowed to come out even to eat or use the restroom." Arabella was working on not screaming now, and she had to stop to catch her breath. "If you ask me Albus, anywhere would be better for the boy than where he is right now."

"Thank you for that information Arabella." Dumbledore spoke calmly as he placed his own tea cup down. "I once again wish to thank you for watching over Harry, for letting me come in, and for speaking your mind. I do wish you a speedy recovery, and I hope to see you again soon." With that Albus stood up. Yes, his mind was definitely made up. He was going to get Harry out of the Dursley's home once and for all. The only question, was where to place the boy.


	2. The Proposal

**Authors Note: Thanks to those that have read and reviewed my story so far. I'm going to work on updating at least every Saturday. By the way, I did research McGonagall's past history a bit for this chapter.**

Chapter 2: The Proposal

When Albus left Arabella's, he was pondering the best way to approach this situation. First of all, who was the boy going to stay with? That was the most important thing. Harry didn't know anyone besides his aunt and uncle, and Albus had no intention of making the boy feel uncomfortable by living with a complete stranger. Second of all, to offer maximum protection for the boy, he had to be related to his guardian's in some way, shape, or form. That would mean adoption. Would Harry object to adoption? Who would be willing to adopt the boy out of the clear blue sky? After all, Harry was now 11, and adopting an adolescent and helping him adjust to their way of life was much more difficult than adopting and raising a small baby. The final question was when the adoption and move should take place. Dumbledore didn't by any means want the boy, or his new family, to feel hurried. No, this was definitely not an easy task that could just be taken care of quickly. This had to be handled delicately, and there was no telling how long it would take.

With all of that weighing on his mind, Albus headed back to Hogwarts. There was no question that Harry Potter would be leaving his aunt and uncles if he so desired, the question was where and when he would be moving. There was one person that Albus had no problem confiding in completely. She had, after all, been his best friend for nearly 50 years and it just seemed right to involve the person that had been with him when he first left Harry on the door step of number 4. Yes, Albus was going to have to discuss this with none other than Professor Minerva McGonagall. That was, if she did eat Albus alive once she found out how the wizarding world hero had spent the past 10 years of his life.

"Honestly Albus, I can't believe you've let this go on as long as you have. It's absolutely dreadful." Minerva McGonagall's lips had all but disappeared when Albus had told her the situation that young Harry was in. She hadn't even let Albus explain about the complications of getting the boy out of there before she had started ranting, and Albus could see the Dragon Lady starting to appear in his best friend. "I warned you that this was a terrible idea 10 years ago when you first left him, but of course you didn't listen. You never do Albus."

"My dear Minerva, I explained back then that I thought it would be best for Harry. I never imagined he would be treated quite this bad." Albus spoke calmly, and refrained from quivering under the murderous glare his Deputy Headmistress was giving him. "I knew that Harry's situation would not be absolute ideal, but it was the simplest solution, and I truly believed it to be the best at the time. Who else would you have had me leave the boy with?"

At this the dark haired witch shot one last glare at her longtime friend, and sat down. "I don't know Albus, but anywhere would be better than where he currently is."

"I quite agree Minerva, but you must see my positioning in attempting to keep him safe." Albus was glad the woman was calming down. He trusted Minerva with his life, but when she turned into the fiery Dragon Lady, even Albus couldn't help quivering in her presence. "Harry's current guardians are the only family the boy has left in this world, and in order to provide maximum protection for the boy, he needs to be living with someone related to him. You want the best for the boy I assume Minerva?"

"Of course I do Albus." Minerva sighed and took a deep breath.

"That leaves only legal adoption. I admit that it would have been easier to do this when Harry was just a baby, but I was wrong. Contrary to popular belief, I AM wrong now and then." Albus couldn't help smiling at the twitch in Professor McGonagall's mouth as she fought a smile of her own. "Now the question is who would be willing to take the boy, and when."

"You know as well as I do that Severus offered to take the boy when this whole mess started Albus." Minerva looked hard at her Headmaster, and then sighed as he shook his head.

"I am aware of that Minerva, but Severus is supposed to be a spy. I do not think that Voldemort," Albus did not miss the woman's flinch at the name, "is dead. I am certain he will find a way to come back, and when he does, we could use Severus to maintain that position, and having him the guardian of Voldemort's main target will not do at all."

"Of course, you are right Albus." Minerva sighed. This truly was complicated, and admitting that, meant admitting that Albus had been right to at least try Harry's only family. No matter how much she hated it. Sighing once more, Minerva massaged her temples before a thought struck her. "What about yourself Albus?"

"Me?" Albus was stunned. He had no experience with raising children. Yes he was Headmaster of a school full of children and had taught at that school for over 50 years, but he had never been the one solely responsible for any single child and the thought made him nervous.

"Yes." Minerva spoke thoughtfully as she mulled it all over in her mind. She of course knew Albus was now 110 and had never thought of a family after what had happened with his brother, sister, mother, and father, but still.

"My dear Minerva, surely you know that I am 110 by now. I am in no fit state to care for young Harry." Albus was still recovering from the shock of his friend's suggestion.

"Why not Albus?" The more she thought about it, the better it sounded, so Minerva decided to press the issue. "You are extremely healthy and talented Albus. You have a heart of gold, and you know better than ever what the boy would need. You say you wish to give the boy the maximum protection, and I believe you would be just the man for the job. You are, after all, the only wizard that You-Know-Who ever feared. Besides, you aren't completely inexperienced. You've watched over the students of this school for over 50 years, and you put your own hand in much of my upbringing seeing." Minerva couldn't help but smile at this. While her mother had been a witch, her father had been a muggle, and her mother had locked away her wand at the marriage. Therefore, Minerva had grown up in a muggle home, and it was under Albus' tutelage that she had excelled so much in school. She had even made Prefect and Head Girl, and after Hogwarts she had continued to study under Albus as she became an animangus. It was thanks to this man that Minerva had become the woman she was. Therefore, she had no doubt that Albus would make a fantastic guardian.

Albus just sighed as he watched the witch before him. All she said was true, but he couldn't help but think that he had never cared solely for a child. He had been responsible for his brother and sister after the death of his mother since his father was in Azkaban, and where had that led them? Ariana was dead, and Aberforth refused to even speak to him. Albus just sighed once more as he shook his head. "Minerva, I can't. I…"

"And why can't you Albus?" Minerva's tone cut him off sharply. "You can't let fear of the past keep rule your life Albus."

Albus just sighed. He knew his friend was right, but he still wasn't sure this was best. "It's not just that Minerva. It's just me at home, and I don't think that a single parent home would be best for the boy. Especially a single parent that has his hands tied with everything going on at Hogwarts constantly. Being a parent is a full time job, and being a single parent is like working 2 full time jobs. My taking the boy would put me working 3 full time jobs since I would be a single parent, and a Headmaster of a magical boarding school. It's going to be hard enough for a couple to get used to a new teenager. How in the name of Merlin is 110 year old single male going to adjust to it on top of being a Headmaster?"

Minerva just looked at Dumbledore and nodded. He did have a very good point. No matter how much she didn't like it.

As Albus watched his dear friend, an idea struck him. "Minerva." He stated cautiously. Albus knew Minerva's history. The woman had never married, and neither had Albus. Though they were for two completely different reasons, the fact remained, that they were two single people that truly wanted what was best for the wizarding world hear. "What if…." Albus had to be careful if he was going to phrase this in a way that wouldn't make Minerva jump all over him. But how in the world was he going to say it? Finally Albus decided it would just be best to spit it out. Minerva was a straight forward, no nonsense type of gal after all. "What if we were to marry and raise the boy together?" Dumbledore waited with bated breath for the woman to explode. After all, he'd known this young lady since her first year at Hogwarts.

"ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE!" Whatever Minerva had thought the man would come up with as a solution fled her mind immediately at this shocking proposal. Was the man serious? Or had he finally been knocked off his rocker like so many of the student's believed?

"Hold on a moment Minerva, let me explain." Albus held up a calm hand as if he had not just been shouted at a second before. "I understand that I am old enough to be your grandfather." McGonagall gave a single laugh at this, but Albus ignored it. "However, neither of us every married, and I doubt that either of us would ever marry for love. We do however; have the best interests of Harry Potter as a common ground. Neither of us would be able to take the boy alone, and we have no other guesses as to who we could leave the boy with. If we were to marry purely out of convenience, it would bind things legally, and Harry would have a place to come to where he would be as safe as if he stayed with his aunt and uncle." Albus watched Minerva raise an eyebrow and chuckled slightly. "Alright, safer if you consider the Dursley's a hazard." Which she obviously did.

"A marriage of convenience Albus?" Minerva chewed this thought over in her mind. Ever since she had refused to marry the muggle farmer, Minerva had never fallen for another man.

"A marriage of convenience Minerva." Albus nodded. "We would buy a house together, and you would tack on the name Dumbledore, but you would still be Professor McGonagall, and you would have a separate room in our home. Nothing would change except the fact that legally we would be husband and wife. That way, we would legally be able to adopt Harry.

Minerva chewed this over in her mind awhile longer before nodding. "Alright Albus, I accept your marriage of convenience." She cared deeply for Albus, but she did not care for him in that way. She also knew that he did not care for her in that way either. She also knew that Albus was not the kind of man to coerce a woman into bed with him. Therefore, she was willing to trust him completely on this matter. "Before we ride off into the sunset however, let's see what Harry has to say on the matter. After all, if Harry rejects us as parents, what convenience would the marriage be then?"

Dumbledore couldn't suppress a small chuckle at that. "Of course Minerva. Whatever you say."


	3. The Dursley's

**Author's Note: Thank you to all who have reviewed my story so far, I hope you like it. I know that it may seem a bit extreme having them get married, but I just spent 3 months as a single mother and am not currently liking the idea of a single parent adoption. Besides, I always liked McGonagall with Dumbledore. Anyways, here is a new chapter. It's longer than my other's, and I hope you like it. Let me know what you think, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.**

**Lily**

Number 4 Privet Drive was, as always, the picture of perfect to any passerby. The lawn was perfectly trimmed, and valiantly green. The house itself was also neat with a beautiful garden around the edge, the window's sparkling clean, fresh paint on the garage, door, the yard fence and patio support beams, and the large brass number 4 shone in the sunshine. Yes, anyone passing by would have no reason to think anything was out of the ordinary. Of course, that was how the Dursley's wanted it. There was absolutely no way they were going to let anyone believe they were strange.

On the inside, the show continued. Petunia Dursley was dusting the spotless living room while her husband Vernon was reading the afternoon paper in his arm chair, and her oversized son, Dudley, was in front of the television eating some ice cream. It all looked like a normal family, and that was how the Dursley's wanted it. There was no sign of anything abnormal, or that there was anyone else in the house.

There was however, one more person in the house. 11 year old Harry Potter was upstairs in the smallest bedroom, but for once, he didn't care. Harry had learned that the odd stuff that had happened to him didn't mean he was a freak. It actually meant that he was a wizard, and had magical powers. On top of that, he had found out that his parents had died as heroes in the wizarding world, and he himself was a living breathing hero. As if that hadn't been enough, his life had been made even better when the Dursley's started ignoring him! Being ignored meant that he didn't have Uncle Vernon yelling at him all day, Aunt Petunia ordering him around, and most of all; Dudley wasn't attempting to use him as a punching bag. No, Harry was absolutely thrilled to be left alone for the first time in his life. It was even better because his obnoxious cousin still had a pig's tail coming out of his fat rear. He would have to find a way to truly thank Hagrid for that one.

Up in that small room Harry was laying on his bed with his back against the lumpy mattress, and his head dangling off the side of the bed flipping through his Potions book while the blood rushed through his head. He had been in this position for 15 minutes when the doorbell rang. He smiled to himself as he realized that once more, Uncle Vernon wasn't going to shout at him to 'answer the damn door.' 30 seconds later however, the smile faded as Harry heard "Boy! Get down here!" Sighing, Harry let his Potions book drop to the floor before bringing his legs up over his head doing a type of back flip off the bed before heading down to see what on earth had made his uncle decide to speak to him again.

When Harry reached the bottom of the stairs, it took a second to take in the entire scene before him. Dudley was clutching his fat bottom as he attempted to hid behind his mother who had her arms spread as if trying to protect her son, but looked like she was going to faint any moment. Vernon was still standing at the front door with it wide open. He was purple faced as he glared at an old man with long white hair and a matching beard the hung to his waist. He was wearing half-moon spectacles and light blue robes. Next to him was a stern looking woman. She too was older, but not as old as the man. She had dark hair that was pulled back into a tight bun, and her lips were pressed thin. She stood tall and stern in dark green robes, and Harry's first thought was that this was not a woman to cross.

"Er, hi." Harry stammered as he jumped the last step to the landing.

"Hello Harry." The old man smiled, and Harry couldn't help but smile as well. He had light blue eyes that had a twinkle to them, and Harry immediately loved them. "Might we come in?" He asked politely, though it was clear that it was only a formality as he stepped across the threshold with the woman behind him.

"Good afternoon Harry." The woman gave a small, fleeting, thin lipped smile. Harry had no doubt about the sincerity behind it, but it was also forced.

"What do you think you are doing just barging in here unannounced?" Uncle Vernon had found his voice again as he followed the couple into his parlor. "We've already agreed to let him go. We don't need your continued harassment."

"Harassment my dear boy? I can assure you that that is far from our intentions." The man continued to smile kindly, but Harry could have sworn the woman's lips had grown even thinner. Both sat down in chairs next to each other. All 3 Dursley's remained standing, but Harry sat on the floor. This was going to be interesting. "We simply came to discuss Harry's living arrangements." At these words, the man seemed to grow a bit more serious, though his eyes still twinkled merrily.

"My what?" Harry couldn't help himself. He had assumed that he would just be living at Hogwarts, and that sounded absolutely fantastic to him. After all, he had no idea where Hogwarts even was? How was he going to bounce between there and the sodding Dursley's every day?"

As if reading his thoughts, the man smiled once more. "Yes my dear boy. While Hogwarts is a boarding school, it is only that, a school. A school is made to educate the mind of a young person and help one to grow, but it cannot replace proper guardians." At that Dumbledore looked at Petunia who shrunk behind her husband. The man however, ignored this and continued. "I am Professor Albus Dumbledore; Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This here is Professor Minerva McGonagall; Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor House, and Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts."

Harry's eyes about popped out of his head. This was the famous Albus Dumbledore that Hagrid had rambled on about so much at Diagon Alley. He didn't know the woman, but Minerva McGonagall had been the signature on his Hogwarts letter. Not only that, but they had been discussing guardianship. What on earth? Were they going to force the Dursley's to be nicer to them? How was that going to work?

"I don't care who the bloody hell you are. You have no right to barge in here and..." Uncle Vernon was bellowing again, and Harry was actually shocked he had let Dumbledore finish speaking before starting in. McGonagall however, was not going to repay the courtesy.

"We have no right? You have no right you blundering, ungrateful..."

"Minerva dear, calm down." Dumbledore's voice was soft and still full of patience. Harry hoped the man had a lot of it, because he seemed the only one still calm. Well, calm and not cowering in terror that was. "As I was saying, I entrusted Harry in your care 10 years ago with the hope that you would care for him as your own son." Harry snorted at this, and McGonagall gave him an apologetic look. "I gave you complete protection in exchange for caring for Harry as his guardians."

"We never asked for the boy." Vernon snarled coldly. McGonagall's lips grew thinner, and Dumbledore sighed.

"We understand that, but you were, and are, the only living relatives that Harry has."

"Why does that leave us responsible for him? We didn't ask for his blasted parents to get blown up." Considering how calm Dumbledore was, and the fact he wasn't ten feet bigger than him, Vernon seemed to have a lot more courage than he had with Hagrid.

"Harry had nowhere else to go." Harry could tell Vernon was about to interrupt again, but Dumbledore held up his hand. "However, now that Harry has grown, and it is clear that you have no intention of caring for him as I have asked, I am prepared to offer an alternative. That is, if you are interested."

At this Harry's eyes about popped out of his head and he jumped to his feet. "Oh, were interested." Harry didn't know who these people were, or who he would even be staying with, but anything would be better than the Dursley's. Uncle Vernon however, grabbed Harry by the scruff of his shirt, and forced him to sit back on the floor.

"Sit down boy!" He ordered, still glaring at McGonagall and Dumbledore. "What do you mean you are prepared to offer an alternative? I thought you said we are his only family."

"That you are. Now, as I explained in the letter I left for you 10 years ago, there are magical bonds that cannot be broken if we are to provide Harry with complete protection. One of those magical bonds is that Harry must live with family. You are the only blood family that Harry has, but that magical bond will also work through a legally adopted family." Dumbledore let that sink in for a minute, and when he was met with silence, he continued. This time however, he spoke directly to Harry. "Now Harry, I understand that this is a major decision, and I can assure you that you do not have to decide anything now. For now, I would like you to just listen to our proposal." Dumbledore looked calmly at a completely stunned Harry, and then turned to McGonagall who took the conversation from there.

"Harry, Albus and I are willing to adopt you. Now as Albus explained, the magical bond requires you to be with legal family. Therefore we would legally be your mother and father, and you would have to take the name Potter-Dumbledore. You would not however, have to call us mum and dad. Away from the school situation you may call us Albus and Minerva, but in the school setting you would still refer to us as Professor McGonagall, and Headmaster, or Professor Dumbledore. We understand that this is a major decision that will most likely take time. Therefore, we are willing to let you see how you like us this year at Hogwarts, and if you so desire, you can stay with us for the last 2 weeks of your summer holidays." As McGonagall finished speaking she watched the shock remain plastered on the faces of her audience, but saw that Harry recovered quickly.

"Are you serious?" Harry was absolutely astounded. For years he had dreamed of a long lost relation coming to take him away from the Dursley's, and here was something just as good, if not better. He didn't fully understand the magical contract thing, or why he needed protection when he hadn't ever seen any kind of protection around him while here at the Dursley's, but that was just a minor detail in his eyes. "I could really come and stay with you guys?" When McGonagall and Dumbledore nodded in unison Harry jumped back to his feet in excitement. "Could I come with you guys right now? It won't take long to get my stuff. I'll be right back."

Before Harry could run off however, there was a heavy tug to the back of his shirt that made him stumble backwards and fall. Uncle Vernon was recovering from his shock. "Wait a minute, how do we know this isn't some kind of trick? We've never even seen you? Who says _we_ would agree to this? We _are_ his guardians after all. Why do you even want the boy?"

Harry couldn't believe this was coming out of his uncle's mouth. Hadn't his uncle wanted him out of the house as long as Harry himself had?

"Mr. Dursley, just by today I thought you made it perfectly clear that you do not want Harry. In fact, I have yet to hear you even call the boy by his name." Dumbledore once again let McGonagall speak, and she spoke firmly. She kept her voice calm, but there was a hint of annoyance in it. "As for why we would want Harry, he is a very remarkable boy who deserves to have someone that will care for him properly. He also deserves to have a place that he wants to come home to. Obviously, that is not provided for him here." McGonagall's tone had been harsh, and Vernon backed down. Obviously he was getting the same vibe that this was not a woman he wanted as an enemy; even though he was already on the verge of such a thing.

"Alright fine. Take the ungrateful brat. It will be less trouble for us anyways." Vernon muttered as he released Harry's baggy t-shirt. "Go get your stuff, and don't you think of taking anything that doesn't belong to you." He growled before turning to walk out of the parlor. "I want you all out of my house in 10 minutes."

"Alright Harry, let's go get your things shall we?" Dumbledore spoke in his cheery voice once more and rose to follow Harry to his bedroom. McGonagall didn't speak a word as she followed suit.

Once up in Harry's small bedroom, McGonagall's lips all but disappeared as she looked around at the utter disgrace. Harry saw this, and offered a small smile as he picked up his Potions book and hastily began stuffing the few school things not already packed, into his school trunk. "It's better than it used to be. Up until I started getting those letters I slept in the cupboard under the stairs." He started packing his oversized clothes, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"Don't worry about those Harry. We can buy you a few outfits that actually fit you." He spoke kindly, and he waved his wand. Immediately, Harry's loose end school things, and few muggle possessions he bothered to keep, soared into his trunk. The mess organized itself neatly so that everything fit perfectly, and then the lid shut. When everything was in order, Dumbledore waved his wand once more, and the trunk vanished. Harry's eyes went wide, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore spoke first. "Do not worry about your trunk Harry; it is now waiting for you in your new room. Now, shall we be off?" With that he led the way down the stairs, waved goodbye to the Dursley's, and he, Harry, and McGonagall, walked out the front door, shutting it behind them.

"Alright Harry, now getting out of here is going to be slightly tricky because we can't let any of the muggles see us. Arabella's place is hooked up to the floo network for the afternoon, so we will head over there." With that Dumbledore walked off once more, and Harry was astounded to see him go right to Mrs. Figg's door.

Just as with Hagrid, there were a million questions floating around in Harry's mind. The trouble was that also as with Hagrid, he had no idea which questions to start with. Therefore he just kept his mouth shut, and followed. He became even more puzzled when Dumbledore led him to Mrs. Figg's fire place, and withdrew a small, purple, draw string bag. "Now Harry, you will need to pay close attention. This is called traveling by floo. It is how wizard families with children travel since underage wizards are not allowed to aparate, portkey's are not always practical, and nearly every home has a fire place." Very little of this made sense to Harry, but he just nodded, and Dumbledore continued. "You just take a handful of floo powder, throw it into the fire place, step in, and clearly speak your destination. Now, since this is your first time using the floo system, Minerva will go first to demonstrate, and then you and I will go together."

Harry nodded once more, and Dumbledore opened the draw string bag. McGonagall stepped forward, grabbed a handful of powered, threw it into the fire place, and Harry jumped back in shock when green flames burst to life before them. McGonagall didn't hesitate however. She calmly stepped into the fire, turned to face the living room again, and spoke. "Dumbledore Residence." With that she spun out of site, and vanished as Harry's mouth dropped open.

"Alright Harry my boy, it looks as if it is our turn." Dumbledore took a handful of powder before closing the draw string bag and replacing it in his robes. "I want to thank you once more Arabella for the use of your home. I hope to visit with you again soon." With that he threw the floo powder into the grate and beckoned Harry forward before, following closely. Once both were in the green flames, he spoke calmly. "Dumbledore Residence."


	4. Day One

**Authors Note: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. This chapter is pretty long, so I hope you enjoy it. Also, thanks to 'ancient midnight' for catching that I can't even spell Harry in the title. I did change that. I hope my story isn't too full of mistakes. Enjoy, and I hope to have another chapter up soon.**

**Lily**

When Harry had originally stepped into Mrs. Figg's fireplace, he was pleasantly surprised at the warmth of the flames. They weren't too hot, but definitely not something he planned on standing in forever with this August heat. They were however, comfortable for just a few moments to be able to travel. However this was supposed to work. When Albus spoke their destination, Harry made the mistake of opening his own mouth, and his lungs were instantly filled with soot. He didn't have long to think about this however because in another instant, he was whirled away and spinning past several rooms until he finally began to slow, and was expelled out of the fire place so quickly that Albus had to grasp the back of his t-shirt to keep him from landing face first on the living room rug.

Upon regaining his balance, Harry brushed soot off of his clothes before stepping out of the fire place, and looking around. They were in a small, quaint, one floored cabin. Harry didn't know what he had expected a wizard's home to look like, but he could see it wasn't much different than that of a muggle home. The living room was a moderate size with a large adjoining living room and kitchen. On either side of the fireplace was an oak door that obviously led to another room. There were two more oak doors on a wall between the fireplace and the kitchen, and on the wall across from that were two large window's and a giant oak door that was obviously the front. All of the flooring that Harry could see was made of a red cherry wood.

Even a lot of the furnishings looked like something you would find in a normal muggle home. There was a large lazy boy made of dark red leather facing the fireplace, and a matching couch facing the wall with the front door with its loveseat sitting across from it with a large square rug between the three. There were dark wooden book shelves along the walls of the living room full of books, and on top were odd trinkets that Harry could only assume were magical. One of these looked like an odd radio, but it had no wires, and Harry couldn't see any electrical outlets. There was also no television in site. Above the fireplace mantle however, was a normal looking clock that looked like it would chime every hour.

The dining room sported a large oak table, with a bench along one side, 2 hard backed, armless chairs along another, and one more chair at each end of the table. There was a large window over the table that made the entire dining room a very cheery place. The kitchen was the strangest thing about the entire home as far as Harry was concerned. There was no microwave, refrigerator, toaster, or freezer. There were no plug in's what-so-ever. There was a pantry however, and several cupboards and shelves all around the walls, above the sink, oven, and counters. The entire place was clean, but didn't give the impression that it had been scrubbed over constantly to make it absolutely immaculate. Harry loved it.

"It's not much, but it's what I call home." Albus pulled Harry out of his stunned observations, and Harry just smiled. "The door to the right of the fireplace leads to my bedroom, the door to the left, leads to Minerva's." Harry didn't have much time to let it sink in that the couple had separate rooms before Albus continued. "The door closest to Minerva's is a lavatory. I'm afraid it's the only one we have, so everyone will have to share. Your bedroom will be through that door closest to the kitchen Harry. Why don't you head in, get settled, and unwind for a bit. I'll get supper started, and call you when it's time for you to wash up."

Harry was still absolutely astounded that he had escaped the Dursley's, and he had the option of never going back. His dreams were coming true little by little. As soon as he had stepped into his new bedroom his eyes had just about popped out of his head. Even after he had been moved up to Dudley's second bedroom he hadn't gotten new stuff. In fact, it couldn't even be considered gently used. Most of the toys in the room were broken, there were loose floorboards under the bed, part of the bedframe was caving in, the mattress was lumpy, and you could feel springs when laying on it, his sheets and blankets were tattered and thin, his dresser was chipped, his mirror had been cracked, and his window was cracked and didn't shut all the way.

Here however, everything seemed close to new. The floor boards were polished and shiny, though you couldn't see very many of them because there was an elegant, dark blue, braided rug. Against one wall was a dark mahogany four poster bed with dark blue curtains, comforter, and sheets to match the rug. At the foot of the bed, still along the wall, was a matching mahogany desk with a book shelf next to it so that there wasn't any lower wall space along that wall. On the opposite wall were a set of mahogany chest of drawers and a matching bureau that went with the desk and bed. The armless desk chair was also of dark mahogany, and had a dark blue cushion. On the wall across from the oak door was a large window with dark blue drapes that over looked a green field leading down to a beautiful lake. Even before he had stepped fully into the room, Harry had been mesmerized.

Harry's trunk had been set underneath his window. Even though he would just end up packing most everything up again in 2 weeks, Harry was aching to make this wonderful room his. Therefore he had unpacked his entire trunk, and put his few possessions where they belonged. The bookshelf wasn't even close to being full, but all of his new text books were neatly arranged on the top shelf. There wasn't much he could do to the bed, but the desk drawer had his parchment and quills in it, and on top of it lay a bottle of ink. The dresser seemed pathetic since it just held Hedwig's cage, one pair of baggy pajamas, and a pair of fresh underwear, but that was because Dumbledore had told him to just leave his clothes. His bureau however held his new school uniforms and robes, and he had even hung his school bag up in it since it was currently empty.

Now he was flopped down on his four poster bed, just staring at the canopy above him. This was all just too perfect. He was afraid that any moment now he would wake up and be stuck in his cupboard. Maybe he was just truly delusional now and his pretending had taken him too far. For years Harry had gotten past the Dursley's torture by making up stories in his head while he did his work. Now he couldn't help but wonder if he was about to start regretting it because as soon as he left this fantasy world he had dreamed up, it would be absolutely torturous. Usually getting snapped out of his fantasy worlds were depressing, but none of them had ever gone this far. There was no way he could be dreaming all of this up. At least, he hoped so.

There was a knock at the door, and Harry lifted his head up to look as he spoke. "Come in."

Albus Dumbledore walked in, and Harry couldn't help but smile. The old man was just one of those people that you felt at peace around. He wasn't annoyingly cheerful, but his presence just seemed to brighten a room immediately. Harry had never met anyone like that, and he loved it.

"Good evening Harry." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked around the room. "I see you've unpacked. If the color isn't to your liking we can change it when we get you some clothes for you. I figured we could go into town tomorrow if you would like."

"That sounds great, but the color is good." Harry looked around. The color wasn't good, it was absolutely brilliant. The entire house was brilliant. The entire situation was just bloody brilliant!

"Alright, well if you ever change your mind, just let us know. This was originally a guest room, but now it's yours, and how it looks is up to you. Are you hungry?"

"A little" If Harry were to be honest with himself, he was absolutely famished. All of this excitement had left him starving. However, this was already too good to be true, so he didn't feel like seeming eager for more.

"Well, supper will be ready in about 5 minutes, so get washed up, and set the table. Then we'll be ready to eat." With that Dumbledore smiled once more at Harry, turned around, and left the room while Harry took a deep breath just to drink everything in. This was really happening.

Harry took one more look around his perfect room, and headed back into the living room to find the rest room, and wash up. It was a simple looking restroom, much as the rest of the house had been, and therefore, Harry loved it. Once Harry had washed his hands, he turned around to find 3 towel racks. Each had a different color of towel set, and above each set was a name. Harry's was the same blue as his bedroom, Minerva's was a dark red, and Albus' was a goldish color. Without hesitating, Harry dried his hands on his blue hand towel, and headed for the kitchen.

Once inside the kitchen, Harry saw some white plates, clear glass cups, and nice silverware waiting for him on the counter. Without hesitating a second, he grabbed the plates, and began setting a proper table for 3, while McGonagall and Dumbledore set food on the table.

They enjoyed a delicious dinner of roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, and corn on the cob. It was all so wonderful that Harry seriously thought he was dreaming at this point. Not only was he full for the first time he could remember, but he wasn't getting the left over scraps that nobody else had wanted. It all tasted wonderful, and Harry was allowed as much as he wanted.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Harry stood, grabbed his plate, and made to take Dumbledore's and McGonagall's, but they both stood up as well. "In this family, we wash the dishes together Harry." McGonagall spoke sternly, but with a smile as she walked her plate to the sink. "After we get the kitchen squared away, we all need to discuss some things."

Harry nodded, and took his place to help. McGonagall washed the dishes, Harry rinsed and dried them, and Dumbledore put them away while clearing off the table. Once the dishes were done, Dumbledore wiped down the table, McGonagall did the counter, and Harry was left to sweep the floor. In Harry's mind, it was amazing how fast and cheerful things could be when you had someone working together. He had done the dishes alone while he was at the Dursley's, and it seemed to take forever. It was also extremely boring. Here however, Harry didn't mind a bit.

When everything was finished in the kitchen, Albus brought a tray of tea and biscuits to the living room, and everyone sat down to just enjoy the evening. Once again, this was something that Harry had never been able to do. The Dursley's had never offered him tea, and if he so much as looked at a biscuit, Aunt Petunia would tell him to not even think about it. As for sitting and enjoying the evening together, Harry doubted that would happen if he lived to be 100 years old.

Harry was sitting in the arm chair. He wanted to just curl up and tuck his feet beneath him since he had long since ditched his trainers, but he didn't know what the rules were concerning that matter, and he was still getting the feeling that McGonagall was not a woman he wanted to testthe boundaries with. For now at least, he would just have to watch and take his cue from what Dumbledore and McGonagall modeled, and questions that Harry became brave enough to ask.

"I hope you have had a good evening Harry." Dumbledore spoke from the loveseat where he was sitting next to McGonagall.

"Yes sir, it's been lovely." Harry sipped at his sweet tea and loved it. Just like the rest of the afternoon had been, it was perfect.

"I know it will be a change for you to live with us. We aren't exactly young anymore." McGonagall spoke simply, and Dumbledore's eyes just twinkled.

"It's peaceful, and I love it here so far. Everything seems simply perfect." Harry didn't miss McGonagall pursing her lips together as she studied him a moment; and he couldn't help but wonder if he had said something wrong.

"Was it really that bad at your aunt and uncle's Harry?" McGonagall placed her tea cup on the tray as she concentrated on just Harry.

Harry gave a small shrug. "They fed me, clothed me, and kept me fairly warm. I was able to go to the local public school, and I got plenty of fresh air and exercise." Harry took another sip of his tea before looking at the floor. "I didn't care for it though. My aunt and uncle always made it perfectly clear that they didn't want me and that I was a burden. My cousin just liked having me around to use me as a punching bag."

Harry didn't see McGonagall's lips practically disappear as she shot Dumbledore an absolutely livid look, but did hear the forced calm in her clipped tone as she muttered "I see" before picking up her tea again.

They sat in silence a moment and Harry couldn't help but feel at least slightly uncomfortable. He didn't know if it was the fact that these people were complete strangers, that they were professors at the school he was about to start at, that they were a real witch and wizard, or that they were, as McGonagall had put it, old. Either way, the silence was kind of unnerving to Harry.

"Well, you can be sure that we are happy to have you with us Harry." Dumbledore smiled kindly, and behind his half-moon spectacles his eyes were twinkling.

"Most definitely." McGonagall actually smiled, and Harry felt himself relax a bit. "As I was saying before, I know it will be an adjustment to stay with Albus and myself. It will take some getting used to on all of our parts. Now Albus and I explained most of the situation when we were at your aunt and uncles. There is a little more however." McGonagall took another sip of her tea, and Harry didn't take his eyes off of her. "Albus will openly admit that he is twice my age, and I am willing to admit that I am past the age of raising children of my own. Neither Albus, nor I, are married, have ever been married, or ever intend to marry. At least for love."

Harry's eyes grew wide. How was he going to be their son when his adopted parents weren't even married?

"However," McGonagall continued before Harry could speak. "In order for you to have the complete protection you had at your aunt and uncles, you must live with legally bonded family. Therefore, Albus and I have agreed to a marriage of convenience. We will marry in order to create that legal bond."

"What? No, I can't let you do that." Harry interrupted. There was no way he would let two people get married just so they could adopt him. That was crazy talk.

"Hold on Harry." McGonagall spoke firmly as she attempted to calm Harry. Albus and I have both agreed to this. If you decide to stay with us, we will marry, but as far as we are concerned, it will not change a whole lot. In fact, the only true changes are that I will become Minerva McGonagall-Dumbledore, permanently call this home, and legally be the mother of this family. I will still be Professor McGonagall at school; I will have my own room, and in general, be my own person."

"The connection we need Harry, is the connection of a legally bonded family." Dumbledore spoke gently, and Harry was finally recovering from the shock. "By Minerva taking the last name of Dumbledore, we are able to create that connection."

"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing." Harry was still skeptical. He had known this was all too good to be true, and here was the proof. In order for it to happen, Harry would have to force two people that didn't love each other to become husband and wife. Things worked out for him, but what about the forced marriage? The way they made it sound it was no big deal was unnerving to Harry, but at the same time he wanted to leave the Dursley's so bad, and this could be his only chance.

"Trust us Harry, we are alright with it." McGonagall spoke firmly, but it was not unkind. "Things will be kind of topsey turvey for all of us. At least for the first little while. As I said, neither Albus nor I have ever had children of our own. Therefore we have no experience with the matter. We also have different theories, different guidelines, different everything."

Harry could only nod. He thought he understood what she was saying. A family was no easy task. Especially a family thrown together as this one had just been.

"With everyone coming from different aspects, Minerva and I thought it would be a good idea for the three of us to sit down together and come up with the rules as a family." Dumbledore's words made Harry choke on his tea. He was seriously going to get to help come up with the rules? "Minerva and I have different expectations, and I'm sure you would like at least a little say in what goes on around here since this is your home as well."

"Er, brilliant." Harry managed. Immediately a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink appeared on the coffee table before them.

"First off, I believe that a family should eat together." As Dumbledore spoke, McGonagall and Harry nodded, and the quill jumped in the air, dipped itself in the air, and began to jot his words down.

"As I stated before, I believe that a family should clean up the kitchen together, but I also believe that they should all do their part to help with meals. Just as we did this evening." This time McGonagall and Harry nodded and McGonagall's words while the quill continued to write furiously in a very loopy script.

20 minutes later, the new family had finished the rules, and Dumbledore spelled it to stick to the front door where they would all be able to read it whenever they wanted. This was what the master copy looked like.

**The Dumbledore House Rules**

Eat meals together

Prepare and clean up meals together

Come to meals washed and presentable

Respect each other

No cursing

No yelling

No throwing things

Pick up after yourself

Talk things out

No lying

Knock before entering other bedrooms

No stealing

With that written up, they decided that the rules could be altered as they saw fit. Everyone agreed to a family meeting every Sunday evening, and Harry was expected to receive a list of chores, set aside 2 hours for study time each day, and be in his room by 9 and in bed by 10. All in all, Harry thought it had been a very productive evening.


	5. Why Now

**Author's Note: I originally only meant for this to be half a chapter, but I got kind of carried away. As such, I'm not sure this is one of my best chapters, but it will do. Anyways, this is for Brodus, and I hope this fixes the qualms you had. Thank you all for reviewing.**

**Lily**

After the rules in general had been discussed and posted, Harry, Albus, and Minerva discussed guidelines for Harry. After all, he was only 11, and he couldn't be allowed to run around as he pleased. Therefore, the thrown together family had sat down to come up with something that seemed fair yet realistic. Neither Albus, nor Minerva had raised children before, and both only knew what they had experienced as children themselves, and what they enforced at Hogwarts. Harry only knew the two extremes. Dudley had been allowed to do whatever he wanted, while Harry had not been allowed to do anything he wanted. Therefore, he wasn't exactly sure what was normal either. He was however, absolutely thrilled to have a say in the matter.

"I believe 11 years old is old enough have some freedom without having to be supervised constantly." Albus spoke softly, and Harry couldn't keep from smiling.

"I agree Albus, but we also must remember that he is only 11, and can't go gallivanting across the country whenever he feels like it." Minerva spoke sternly, and Harry made a face feeling like she made it sound like he was 5 years old.

"I won't go gallivanting across the country." Harry assured them quickly. "I do want to play outside however."

After a good half hour of discussion, the group decided that Harry was to let either Minerva or Albus know where he was going to be at all times, and ask for permission to leave the house. He would not leave the property by himself, and he would be in the house by 7. In addition, Harry was to spend an hour a day on his studies, be in his room by 9, and be in bed by 10. He also had a few chores he was expected to do each day, but other than that; Harry's day belonged to him. He was free to do what he wanted, as long as it was within reason, and stuck to the boundaries laid out. He wasn't to be in the lake unsupervised, and he was not allowed to wander off the trail in the forest, and was to stay close enough that he would be able to hear his name be called.

Yes, everything had been absolutely fantastic last night. When nine-o-clock came however, Harry actually had time to think in his room, and his brain was buzzing with hundreds of questions. He had been more comfortable than he could ever remember being in his life, and yet Harry hadn't been able to shut his mind off and go to sleep until after midnight. Then the sun had woken him, and he had quickly gotten dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Harry was halfway through cooking a very silent breakfast when Minerva stepped out of her room. "Good morning." Harry gave a distracted smile, and wave.

"Good morning Harry." Minerva gave him a puzzled look, but stepped to the counter, took out a coffee pot. "What has you up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep. I'm used to being up with the son, or being kicked around all morning for being lazy." Harry just shrugged it off, and was busy with some eggs so didn't see Minerva purse her lips.

"They kicked you?" Minerva's tone was sharp, and Harry spun to face her quickly.

"Only kicked me around a bit." Harry stated simply. "Not enough to seriously hurt me. I was too fast for them, and they just made threats mostly. It was my cousin that I really had to worry about when it came to getting hurt. If he could catch me he liked to use me as a punching bag."

"I swear Albus, I'm going to..." Minerva's angry voice trailed off as she distracted herself with adding water and coffee beans to the coffee pot and placing it on the stove.

"Minerva..." That was the first time Harry had used the name, and he couldn't help but feel that it felt rather odd. As a result, he paused to truly think about actually calling an adult by their first name. Without even placing a title in front of it.

"Yes?" Minerva could see the boy lost in thought, and decided to aid him a bit. If only to distract her from wanting to ring Albus' neck. She figured it was probably a good thing the man liked to take early morning strolls.

"How did you guys know I was at my aunt and uncles?" Upon hearing Harry's words, Minerva realized that this discussion probably wasn't going to distract her from wanting to do Albus severe bodily harm.

"Albus, Hagrid, and I left you on your aunt's doorstep the night your parents were killed Harry." Minerva focused on breathing evenly. There was no need to tell the boy it was contrary to her better judgment. After just one day of watching the Dursley's as a cat she had thought they were despicable. Now she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her temper while she spoke about them.

"I see." Harry mulled this over in his brain a moment as Minerva took the plate of eggs from him, and flicked her wand over them without a word. "What does that do?"

"It keeps the eggs warm and fresh." Minerva replied simply with a kind smile. There was something about the innocence of the boy that was keeping her calm.

"How did you know Mrs. Figg? And what was with the fireplace? Do all fireplaces do that? Can you travel anywhere by fireplace?" Harry knew he was spouting off questions faster than anyone would be able to answer them, but they all came to his mind so fast, especially when they were so closely connected.

"Slow down Harry, I have plenty of time to explain everything." Minerva gave a small laugh at the boy's rambling. "Arabella Figg is what we call a squib."

"What's a..." Harry didn't get to finish as Minerva's lips tightened.

"Don't interrupt me please Harry." Minerva was a lot more patient than some people, namely her colleague Severus Snape, but she was not one to accept interruptions. "A squib is a term in the wizarding world. It means that Arabella was born to magical parents, but she herself possesses no magical abilities. It is quite rare, but happens now and then. More often if one parent is muggle while the other is magical."

Harry chewed this over all in his mind, but didn't speak. He liked Minerva, but there was no doubt that her sternness intimidated him just a bit. He would get over it soon enough though. At least he hoped so.

"As for the fireplace," Minerva continued on as she set the breakfast table. "That is what we call travelling by floo. Most of the wizarding fireplaces are connected to the floo network, and by using floo powder, one can step into one fireplace, and come out another. Though, you must speak clearly to get where you want to go. The fireplace also has to be connected to the floo network for you to be able to travel through it."

"I see." There were a million other questions running through Harry's mind, but he didn't feel like being annoying on his first day. After all, he wasn't even allowed to ask questions at the Dursley's.

"The Dursley's never treated you well. Did they?" Minerva took the coffee pot off the stove, but she searched Harry with a solemn gaze as if searching his soul.

"No ma'am." It was all Harry could really say. That was one of his questions. Why now? Why would they come rescue him now when he had lived with the sodding Dursley's for 10 years. Nothing had changed. Their treatment of him hadn't gotten any worse. In fact, one could argue that it had gotten better actually. Now they were all scared of him, so didn't end up ordering him around, and trying to kick him all over Surrey.

All of this brought Harry's mind back to Mrs. Figg. He had stayed with her several times while the Dursley's went out. She had definitely not been Harry's favorite person with all of her talk of cats, but it had been better than life at the Dursley's. Mrs. Figg had also known just how the Dursley's treated him. Granted she might not know all of the details since she was only a neighbor, and not everyone was as nosy as Aunt Petunia, but Harry knew that Mrs. Figg at least knew about his situation. So why now? Why was he suddenly saved all of a sudden? Had Mrs. Figg told how Harry was treated? Why now? Why had she waited so long?

"Harry, be careful!" Minerva's loud voice suddenly penetrated Harry's thoughts, and he jumped. Looking down he could see the pot of porridge in front of him boiling over. He hadn't even been paying attention to the porridge!

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Harry stammered as he spun around looking for something to clean up the mess. "That can be my share since I was stupid enough to spill it."

"Don't be foolish you silly boy." Minerva spoke sharply as she waved her wand and the mess disappeared, but the porridge in the pot remained. "There is plenty, you just need to be paying attention." Minerva's tone was firm, and her lips were pursed tightly as she watched the boy in front of her. Why had he thought that he would have the spilled porridge?

She watched him closely. He was still in extremely baggy clothes that hung limp from his scrawny frame. Suddenly realization hit her. The boy had probably been half starved. Yes he ate some, that was obvious by the fact that he was alive. He hadn't been well nourished however. Minerva thought back to the night before when they had eaten dinner together. He had eaten a bit of everything, but that had just been it. He had only eaten a bit. Harry hadn't asked for seconds, and the helpings he had eaten had not be terrifically large. The only consolation she could find was that they had at least been halfway decent helpings.

Minerva angrily squeezed the glass in her hand, and was startled out of her thoughts when it suddenly shattered, cutting her hand in several places while the broken pieces fell to the floor. She saw Harry jump, and immediately bend down to start picking up the shattered glass.

"Don't touch it Harry." Minerva snapped. Honestly, why would the child try picking it up with his bare hands? With a wave of her wand the pieces floated into the air, and quickly repaired themselves into the glass Minerva had been holding moments before. Her hand was still cut, but Minerva quickly made her way to the medicine cabinet and withdrew a simple potion. Making a face as she drank a little vial, she placed it in the sink, and watched Harry's amazed expression as her hand healed itself.

"That was brilliant." Harry muttered with wide eyes.

Minerva couldn't help but smile. The child really knew nothing about magic.

* * *

><p>Several hours later Harry was curled up in leather armchair flipping through his Transfiguration book. Albus was reading several letters that had been delivered at breakfast, and Minerva was flipping through lesson plans. This morning's magical display had distracted Harry for the time being, but he was quickly losing control of his thoughts again.<p>

"I have found Harry, that it is better to speak your mind, than to let it be trampled through." Dumbledore didn't look up, and Harry just ogled at him. How did he know?

"Oh, er..." Harry stammered.

"Alas, the articulate loss of too many thoughts." Dumbledore lowered his letters, and looked kindly at Harry.

Harry went bright red. He had pinned Minerva as stern but reasonable. He seemed to observe quietly, but Albus had an unnerving way of making Harry feel as if he were seeing right into his mind. Now even Minerva had paused in her work, and was watching Harry.

"Sorry, it's just that, I've been thinking." Harry mumbled lamely.

"That is usually the price that comes with having a mind." Albus nodded, and Harry relaxed a bit. Albus had such a way of making Harry calm.

"I just don't want to bother you with all of my questions.

"I can assure you, that you are not a bother my boy." Albus' smile faded, and Harry saw Minerva shoot Albus a glare.

"It's just that I've asked so many questions today, and I don't want to be a bother. At my aunt and uncle's house questions are forbidden." Harry sat up in the chair, folded his legs in criss cross form, and sat on his ankles.

"Questions are the only way to find answers Harry." This time it was Minerva that spoke. "Albus and I have taught for many years, and I can assure you that without questions to answer, we would be out of a job."

"I guess." Harry mumbled picking absent mindedly at a loose thread on his baggy t-shirt.

"We'll go shopping for new clothes for you after lunch." Minerva spoke firmly once more, and Harry could only smile. Despite her sternness, Harry couldn't help but like her already.

Taking a deep breath, Harry decided to just spill it all out. "Why now?" He blurted, and then mentally kicked himself. _Yeah because that makes a lot of sense you idiot._ He thought to himself. Taking a deep breath, Harry sighed. "I mean, why did you decide to take me from the Dursley's now?"

Minerva shot Dumbledore an icy glare deciding to let him take this question since she didn't trust herself to keep calm. Even Dumbledore had to take a deep breath before speaking.

"Harry my boy." Dumbledore's voice was kind, but he looked sad and tired. "We did not know the severity of your situation."

There was silence as Harry thought about this for a moment. How had they not known the severity of his situation?

Dumbledore continued quietly, and Harry listened patiently. "When I left you on the doorstep of number 4 ten years ago, I knew that your life would not be ideal. Minerva told me about your aunt and uncle when I informed her of my intention, and I knew that you would not be the shining star in your new family, as you had been with your parents. I did however, hope that your aunt and uncle would be able to find room enough in their hearts to accept you, and treat you as a second son."

Harry scoffed at this. The Dursley's treat him like a son? As if.

"As you probably know by now, Arabella Figg is somewhat connected to the Wizarding world, and I asked her to keep an eye on you." Dumbledore continued gravely. "Arabella tends to be a little over dramatic however. I can't blame her, after all, living with nobody but all of those cats. However, I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle her theatrics when it came to you. Therefore, I asked her to keep an eye on you, and informed her that when you went off to Hogwarts I would return and speak with her. I told myself that then I would decide if living with your relatives was in deed the best thing for you."

Dumbledore paused a moment, and Harry sighed. He was about to start Hogwarts now, and obviously living with his relatives was not the best place for him.

"I instructed Arabella to keep an eye on you, but to not worry about anything, and only contact me if she felt that your situation was a matter between life and death." Harry cringed at the glare that Minerva shot McGonagall. Seriously, if looks could kill. "I expected to hear from Arabella with a bunch of wild stories since she is very dramatic, but I did not receive a thing. It seems that Arabella actually listened to me for once. She took the fact that you remained out of the hospital to mean that you were not in a life or death situation. When I didn't hear from Arabella I figured that you must have been decently taken care of since I wasn't even getting her over exaggerations."

The explanation was so simple, Harry could just nod. He had never truly discussed life at the Dursley's with Mrs. Figg. In fact, Harry had never discussed life at the Dursley's with anyone. Harry had learned long ago that it was best to just keep his mouth shut. Complaining got him nowhere, and just annoyed whoever was willing to talk to him. Therefore there had been no real reason for Mrs. Figg to be theatrical and make it seem as if Harry's situation was one between life and death.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told her to only contact me if it was a matter between life and death Harry." Albus continued gravely. "I apologize for it Harry. I just wanted you to have the maximum protection that only comes with your living with legal relations. I am also an old fashioned man who believes it is not healthy for a child to be famous before he can walk and talk. Famous for something you don't even remember." Harry had to agree with this. "Therefore, living in the wizarding world was not something that I wanted for you. I am an optimistic old man Harry. I hoped that you would have a nice life with your relatives. Maybe not your ideal situation, but definitely not something that you would hate. The fact that you were willing to come with two perfect strangers was proof of just how wrong I was dear boy. I hope you can forgive me for putting you through all of that."

"I see." Harry could just stare at Albus. It all really did make sense. Harry might not like it, but it made sense. With that thought in mind, Harry gave a small smile and nodded. "I can forgive you."

Minerva had remained silent through this discussion, but that hadn't kept her from shooting death glares at Albus. Really, what had the man been thinking? As it all wrapped up however, she was stunned. Was Albus truly saying that he had been wrong about something? Albus was always so confident, and seemed to know absolutely everything. Yet here he was, admitting that, this time, his optimistic nature had failed him.


	6. In Paradise

**Warning: Spanking in this chapter. If you don't like it, don't read it. Reviews are always appreciated.**

On Harry's first afternoon with Albus and Minerva they went in to a muggle London to go shopping. Harry not only got new clothes that fit comfortably, but he was also allowed to choose some toys, games, and books that he would enjoy. As he was 11 years old, he didn't get a whole lot of toys, but he was fascinated by jigsaw puzzles. Puzzles were something his cousin had never really bothered with. Mostly because they took thinking, and Harry was pretty sure that Dudley wasn't capable of even that much brain power.

By the end of that first outing Harry was starting to realize the functions of this new family. Albus was so addicted to sweets that they couldn't pass a sweet corner without him wanting to stop and taste everything they had to offer. Harry found this even more hilarious because Minerva's lips would go thin as she shook her head and muttered something about teeth rotting, and dying of a blasted heart attack. To which Albus would just smile.

"Do lighten up Minerva dear, I'm 110 years old. If sweets were going to take my life, I'm quite certain that they would have done it many years ago." Harry personally thought that Albus had a point.

With his constant love of sweets, Harry was offered quite a bit as well. Minerva however, put her foot down there and only let Harry have a little at a time. So Albus compromised by tasting everything himself, and only insisting that Harry try his absolute favorites. This was a compromise that still ended with Harry eating more sweets than he had ever seen in his entire life.

As Harry thought about it later that night, he absolutely loved this little family. It was far from what he had imagined with a mother, father, and child; it was even better. Albus wasn't exactly what Harry pictured in a father; he was more the fun loving grandfather. Minerva balanced him out however because she was the strict mother that made sure Harry ate balanced meals, got exercise, did his studies, and went to bed on time.

As the rest of the summer flashed by, Harry realized that he no longer cared how many days were left before he would go to Hogwarts. The fact of the matter was, even without Hogwarts, Harry's life was no longer a living piece of hell.

**·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·**

It was the day before Harry was to go to Hogwarts, and he was getting more excited by the minute. He would be riding the train with the rest of the students, and although that made him nervous, he was also thrilled to be meeting other children his age. These children wouldn't be bullied into hating him by his wale of a cousin, and they wouldn't think he was a freak because he had magical powers he couldn't explain. No, Harry had a feeling that he was actually going to enjoy meeting and making new friends.

After 2 weeks of living with Albus and Minerva, Harry had made up his mind. It was an odd combination, but he decided that he wanted the adoption. Not only was it getting him away from the Dursley's, but it was much better. He actually liked Minerva and Albus. Yes they were old and didn't understand a lot of things, but they both cared for him deeply. That is what truly mattered to Harry.

Harry decided to tell them that night at dinner. It would be something nice for everyone to sleep on.

After breakfast Harry got started on his chores and study time. He didn't have a lot of chores, and they weren't hard. Today he was mostly in charge of making sure his things were packed and ready to go. He would not be able to dilly dally his time away tomorrow since both Minerva and Albus had to get to the school as soon as possible. This would be complicated this year since they also had to see Harry to the train.

Harry was finished by 11, and headed outside. He was aching to wander and just get lost in thought in this beautiful place once more before leaving for school, but lunch would be ready soon. As such, wandering would just have to wait.

After a quick lunch Harry helped clean up before scampering out the door. "I'm going to be wandering around the property." He called to Minerva who was headed to her room to work on some last minute things.

In all honesty, Harry didn't think she waited until the last minute to do anything. Minerva was one of those people that had a place for everything. In fact, Harry had started neglecting to pick up his dirty clothes around his 3rd or 4th day at the cabin. Minerva had let it go for two days seeing as it was in his room, but on the 3rd day Harry was awoken by a mountain of clothes being dropped on top of him, and Minerva telling him that he would have an extra chore that day for neglecting to pick up after himself.

"Alright Harry." Upon receiving Minerva's ok, he headed out the door.

Once outside Harry let his imagination run wild. He jumped around the outside perimeter of the house for about a half hour, and then headed down the winding forest trail. Harry decided that he was an explorer out to study the wild life. Once inside the forest Harry climbed trees, swung from branches, and chased small animals. As such, it didn't take Harry long to lose sight of the forest trail.

Harry entertained himself as he ran through the forest. At one point he had climbed a tree, and seeing branches of another tree so close, had jumped onto those. He continued his journey like this for a while, not even letting his feet touch the ground, but after 15 minutes he got over confident. He misjudged some of the branches, and they broke under his sudden weight. Harry fell to the forest floor scraping up his hands. His right knee also stung terribly. Looking down he saw that he had torn his jeans, and his knee was bleeding.

Groaning slightly in frustration, Harry picked himself up off the forest floor and dusted himself off. _Just great, how was he going to explain this one? Minerva and Albus had been kind enough to buy him new jeans, and he goes and tears them not even 2 weeks later. He was such an ungrateful little brat!_

Angry at himself Harry went over and kicked a tree. This gave him no aid however as it made his foot start throbbing. "Damn." He whispered before hopping on one foot to try and get the sting out of the other one. _Well, I may as well head home. It's probably about that time anyways._

When Harry turned around however, he realized that he had absolutely no idea where he was. There was no sign of the forest path that he was supposed to be staying on, and he was so deep in the forest that he couldn't even see which way home was. He could however, tell that the sun was getting lower in the sky.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry began walking. _The only way to get out of here was to walk, so he might as well start somewhere._ As he walked he couldn't help but wish that he could tell the time of day by the sun like some people could. _He knew that it was the last day of August. That meant that the days were getting shorter, but that the sun was still up pretty late. Other than that however, Harry was completely lost as to what time it was._

As Harry continued walking he started realizing how thirsty and hungry he was_. It couldn't be that late could it? There was no way it was time for dinner. It was just all of the exercise he had gotten on his exploring adventure. Either way, it didn't matter. He would be home soon, and he could at least grab a snack. He had to be home soon. He just had to._

As the sun got even lower in the sky, Harry began to worry. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that in the summer the setting sun meant it was late evening. _Why had he wandered so far? Why on earth had he left the trail? He knew the rules, and yet he had broken them. Now he was lost. This was just fantastic. _

_Minerva was going to kill him. He would not be able to go to Hogwarts because Minerva was going to kill him before he was even on the train. If she didn't kill him she would send him back to the Dursley's deciding he deserved to stay there. Once at the Dursley's they would lock him back in his cupboard under the stairs and starve him for being so much trouble that even his kind didn't want him._

As the sun sank below the horizon Harry began to wonder if he would even make it out of the forest. _It was so large, and there was still no sign of the trail. How could he have been so stupid?_

Harry thought he could hear voices. _Great, now he was going mental!_

After a few more minutes however Harry thought he could see a small light in the distance. Squinting he looked harder and the light seemed to get a bit brighter. _That was strange. Was he really that out of it? Was he supposed to walk into the light? Didn't muggles believe that walking into the light meant embracing death? This really was the end._

"Harry? Is that you?" It was Minerva's voice, and Harry began running towards her. _She could kill him later, but she had found him! He was saved!_

Minerva hugged him tightly for a moment before taking out her wand. "Albus, I've found him. He's safe, and we'll meet you back at the house." With that Minerva gave a flip of her wand and a silver cat flew out of the tip and sprinted off.

"What was that?" Harry asked in awe as he watched it. He didn't get a chance to really enjoy it however because he about quailed under the look Minerva gave him as she grasped his wrist and dragged him to the cabin. _Ok, maybe saved wasn't the right word._

"You are in serious trouble young man." Minerva scolded as she marched Harry out of the forest. "What do you think you were doing? Albus and I have been worried sick and looking for you for hours. You could have been anywhere!"

"I'm sorry ma'am." Harry muttered trying to hold back the tears. _This was where Minerva tells me she hates me and will never get married just to adopt an ungrateful brat._ He thought to himself.

"Oh you are not nearly as sorry as you are going to be young man!" As Minerva steered him out of the forest and the moonlight landed on him she got a better look and gasped. "What in Merlin's name happened?"

"I f-fell." Harry couldn't help it anymore. He felt the tears start to fall as he stuttered. "I'm s-sorry."

"Oh I can imagine." With that Minerva turned Harry slightly, and brought her hand down in a vicious smack to his backside that made Harry jump in shock. _THAT STUNG!_ "You have a lot of explaining to do young man!"

"Minerva, let's get him inside. Let's not be rash." The calm voice made both Harry and Minerva turn. Albus was walking towards them, and although his anger wasn't as plain as Minerva's, Harry could feel he wasn't his usual cheerful self.

Without a word Minerva took Harry by the forearm in a vice grip and led him to a corner in the living room.

"You will stay there until I tell you to come out." She ordered sternly before walking away.

Harry couldn't help but cry quietly. _He still couldn't believe he had been so stupid. He had only been here 2 weeks, and he had blown it. Nobody was going to want him now._ Harry could hear clinking in the kitchen, but he was so upset that he could not sense Minerva calming down as she worked in silence.

"Alright Harry, come here." Harry flinched at Minerva's voice, but her tone was much softer. Upon turning around Harry still couldn't prove that she owned a set of lips, but she didn't look quite as murderous as before. On the contrary, she set a large bowl with steam coming off it on the table, and added a spoon and tall glass of milk. "Sit here and eat. We will discuss everything after you have some food in your stomach.

"Yes ma'am." Harry was stunned, but obeyed. _Even after all he had done he was getting food?_ He sat at the table and began eating his bowl of steaming hot onion soup as Minerva placed some bread, cheese, and fruit in front of him.

"You had better eat all of it young man or so help me... After running around all afternoon like that..." Minerva's stern rebuke was not needed because Harry couldn't think of a time in his life he had ever been hungrier than right then.

As Harry ate Minerva started fishing around in the medicine cabinet, and came back with two vials. "Take these." She ordered placing them in front of Harry. "They will heal your scrapes, and make sure they don't get infected." Obediently Harry drank them down, and nearly gagged at the awful taste. To wash the taste out he quickly went back to his soup. Once his bowl was scraped clean Minerva filled it again as Harry ate some fruit and cheese. He opened his mouth to protest, but the stern look from Minerva made him shut his mouth again and just eat.

Once Harry had eaten 3 bowls of onion soup, and what felt like a loaf of bread, a block of cheese, and a bushel of fruit, he was allowed to clear his place at the table and Minerva led him back to living room.

"Harry, would you like to explain what happened this afternoon?" Minerva's tone was firm, but not angry, and she forced Harry's head up to look at her when she spoke to him.

"I... got distracted." Harry muttered lamely.

"What do you mean my boy?" This time Dumbledore spoke up, and his voice was kind which made Harry's stomach twist in knots.

"Well, you see, I was pretending I was an explorer. I started following animals, climbing trees, and I just got distracted I'm sorry." Harry spoke glumly and hung his head looking down at his hands folded in his lap.

"Harry, what are the rules concerning the forest?" Minerva spoke sternly again, and Harry flinched.

"I'm to stay on the forest trail and not go so far in I can't hear you call me." Harry muttered quietly.

"Correct." Minerva sighed. _She wasn't used to worrying about her students on a personal level like this. In fact, she was probably one of the most lenient Head of Houses at Hogwarts since as long as her students weren't caught out of their common rooms after curfew and didn't make too much noise late at night; she didn't care what they did. Now however, she was personally taking care of Harry. She was currently, and possibly permanently, his guardian. She hadn't thought it would make much difference, but she already cared deeply for this boy, and not being able to find him had really worried her._

"Harry, you know that we only want what's best for you." Albus had walked over to Harry, and was now kneeling in front of him. "You really worried us this afternoon because anything could have happened to you, and you could have gotten hurt a lot more than a few scrapes."

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered. "Really, I am."

"We believe you Harry." Albus stood with a kind smile and looked at Minerva silently letting her take over again.

Minerva sighed heavily, and looked at the boy in front of her. He really did look sorry for what he had done, but she knew that she had to punish him. "Harry, I understand you are sorry, but you broke the rules, and now need to face the consequences."

Harry nodded, sniffed and stood up. "I understand. I'll go pack my things."

This threw Minerva completely off guard and she stared at him in open mouthed shock for a moment. "What are you talking about Harry?" She finally managed to speak, and grabbed Harry's wrist to keep him from walking away from her.

"I'll go pack my things so you can send me back to the Dursley's." Harry was barely able to whisper it as he blinked back the tears. "I'm really sorry about all of this."

Minerva sighed and Albus walked back over to him and brought the boy into a large hug. "Oh dear boy, we would never send you back to the Dursley's."

Harry looked up at Albus stunned. _Nobody had ever hugged him before! And had he just said that Harry wouldn't be going back to the Dursley's?_ "But why? I was bad and ruined my chance with you guys." Harry choked back some tears.

"Harry, we will never send you back to your relatives unless you wish to go." Minerva was the one to speak this time, and for the first time this evening, her voice wasn't stern, but kind.

"Really?" Harry looked up at her in amazement. They weren't going to send him away!

"No." Minerva even gave Harry a small smile as she stepped forward. Albus let Harry go, and backed up beside Minerva to let him breathe. "You are in trouble for disobeying, but we aren't going to send you to your relatives. We would never do that Harry. We only want what is best for you."

"Ok." It was said so simply that Albus had to smile at such childlike acceptance.

Minerva and Albus returned to their seats, and although Harry wasn't crying anymore, he couldn't help squirming in his seat. _They weren't going to send him back to the Dursley's, and they had already made him eat, so what else was there?_ His cheeks went slightly pink and he looked at his lap again when he remembered the smack that Minerva delivered outside the house.

"Harry, I want you to return to the corner while I converse with Albus." Minerva's tone was firm again, and Harry decided it was better not to argue so got up and returned to his corner. It didn't take him long for him to realize that this was not his favorite position seeing as his legs grew tired and all he could see were walls on either side of his face.

As Harry fidgeted in the corner he heard Minerva and Albus rise, and head outside. He wasn't stupid; he knew they were discussing him. This was a thrown together family, and they were addressing things as they came up. Seeing as Harry hadn't disobeyed yet, this was a new development.

When the door opened Harry only heard one set of footsteps, and sighed. When he heard the figure move to the couch he squirmed. He could guess which one was going to talk to him about this, and when it spoke, Harry groaned inwardly.

"Come here Harry James." The tone was strict, and Harry didn't dare disobey. When he turned around he saw Minerva sitting on the couch. She motioned for him to join her, and Harry shuffled over to her before sitting cautiously beside her.

"Albus and I have decided that I will be primarily in charge of discipline." Minerva watched the boy in front of her carefully, and when he lowered his head she tilted it up with her hand. "I gave your bottom a smack earlier, and I'm going to tell you now that I have no qualms about spanking children when they deserve it. No matter how old you are."

Harry felt a chill run down his spine and found that his mouth was dry.

"I would say you have definitely earned a spanking Harry James, so now I will explain my rules." Minerva's gaze was like steel, and Harry couldn't help but squirm. "All spankings take place over my knee, and I will always spank your clothed bottom. You will not fight me or make me come get you. You may cry out, but you may not swear or call me names, and you may not hit, kick, bite, or try to harm me in anyway. You will also answer any questions I ask you, and you will give me a verbal answer? Are there any questions?"

Harry wanted to just shake his head seeing as he throat was still dry, but her last rule stated she wanted a verbal answer. "N-no ma'am." His voice cracked, but Minerva accepted it.

"Very well. Well, over my knee you get." Minerva slid to the middle of the couch while Harry stood, and then guided the young boy over her lap. She sighed. _She didn't want to do this. She was getting too old, and Harry had behaved so well the past two weeks. Well, she guessed she was delusional to think the boy would never get into trouble._

Harry was nervous. He had never been spanked at the Dursley's; they had mostly refused to touch him. If they had to touch him it was to drag him around, and then shove him into his cupboard, and it was always done with disgust. As if Harry was something despicable. Now he was about to get his first spanking ever, and to make matter's worse, he was already in tears. He had gotten into trouble at the Dursley's, and he had never seemed to care what they did or thought. Now however, he had accidentally gotten into trouble, and he felt absolutely dreadful.

Harry gasped as the first smack landed, but he didn't have time to register it in his mind before more rained down on his bottom. With Harry already feeling awful for what he had done, it didn't take long for him to be a sobbing mess, and only part of it was due to the growing fire in his backside.

Minerva lectured Harry while she spanked him, and Harry promised to do better, and not wander off the forest trail again. After 15 swats she lowered one knee so that Harry's bottom rose just slightly and she had better access to his sit spots. She landed 5 more hard swats there, and then sat the crying child up. "It's all over Harry, you're just fine." Minerva wasn't the cuddly type, but she let the sobbing boy melt into her, and slowly traced circles on his back with her finger.

After a few minutes Harry calmed down and just looked up at the woman holding him. "I'm really sorry Minerva." He spoke quietly, but looked into her face as he spoke.

"It's alright Harry, you are forgiven." Minerva gave Harry a quick hug before motioning him to stand. "Now normally speaking you would be on restriction to your room all of tomorrow, but since you won't even be here after 10 in the morning, you will stay in your room until you leave except for breakfast, and you will write me 50 lines of "I will obey and stay on the forest path and within earshot of the adults." I will collect the lines from you before we leave for the train, but you are not to do them tonight. Right now you are to take a quick shower and climb into bed. I won't hesitate to repeat this lesson if I find you awake when I come in to check on you in half an hour."

"Yes ma'am." Harry gave the stern woman one more hug, and scampered off to his room. Even after disobeying they still wanted him. What's more, even with a burning backside, Harry decided that he still wanted the adoption. He would make sure to tell them at breakfast. For now, he was perfectly happy being silent in his own little paradise.


	7. Bonding

**Author's Note: Some of you have expressed some concerns, and also pointed out that Dumbledore is more than capable of being the harsh disciplinarian type. As such, I have used this chapter to explain a few things. There is also a lot of Albus and Harry bonding, so let me know what you guys think. Also, the idea about the privilege points is not mine. I took the idea from Brodus who was kind enough to let me use it, so a major thank you to Brodus. I have tweaked his version a little though. Also, Harry's allowance came from an online converter. I put it in English and U.S. money since they are in England, but I'm from the states so I relate to it better. Let me know what you guys think of everything. Also, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. I probably won't update again until after Christmas. I should have an update before the New Year though. Have fun.**

**~Lily~**

Harry didn't complain about getting sent directly to bed. It was already decently late, and he was absolutely exhausted. His adventures in the forest had completely wiped him out, and now his body just wanted sleep. Therefore, he slept soundly. In fact, Harry didn't wake until there was a knock on his door.

"Mm up," muttered Harry groggily as he felt around on his night stand for his glasses, shoving them onto his nose he sat up. Upon seeing the sun shining into his room, his eyes went wide, and he jumped out of bed and scrambled to get clothes. _How could I have slept so late?_ he thought to himself. _Why didn't anyone wake me before now?_

Albus could hear scurrying in Harry's room and knocked once more. "Harry?" he called out. "May I come in?"

"I'm coming. Just give me a minute." Harry called. "Yeah, come on in."

Albus stepped into Harry's room and smiled as he saw him jumping up and down to get a pair of jeans over his dark blue boxer shorts. "Good morning Harry." Albus moved over to Harry's desk chair as Harry rifled through his school trunk to find a clean T-shirt. Finding a dark green one, he shoved it over his head and started hunting for socks.

"Good morning Albus." Harry spoke distractedly as he hurriedly searched. _Why didn't I pack neater? _"Sorry I slept so late; I didn't mean to."

"No trouble at all dear boy; it's only 7:30." Albus smiled as he watched the boy dig through his trunk, growing increasingly frustrated. "I just thought I would let you know that breakfast is almost ready. Before you head out, however, I wanted to speak with you a moment."

Finally finding a pair of white socks, Harry slammed his trunk shut and sat on it to put the garments onto his feet. "What about, Albus?"

"Well, dear boy, first off I wanted to apologize." Albus watched Harry look at him in confusion, and smiled as he held up a hand to silently tell the boy to let him explain. "You have been living with Minerva and I for 2 weeks now, and you haven't left the property but to go to London a few times."

"Oh I don't mind, Albus; just wandering around the property is more than I was able to do at the Dursleys'." Harry had finished putting on socks and flopped onto his stomach on the floor to check for his trainers under the bed.

At the mention of not even being allowed to wander the property to have fun at the Dursleys', Albus flinched; Harry might not blame him for it, but Albus still harbored a lot of guilt over the matter. "Well I still wish we had been able to go visit more of London." Albus smiled as Harry located his trainers and started shoving them onto his feet. "During future holidays, if you are still with us of course, we will go on more outings. You just caught us at a really hard time, since I am Headmaster, Minerva is Deputy Headmistress, and school is about to start."

"I understand." Harry finished tying one of his trainers and gave Albus a toothy grin.

"Minerva and I will work on getting as much done as possible while at school so that we have more time to do stuff with you, Harry. You will also make friends at Hogwarts so will have more to do then as well. I know that living with a couple of old crows like us can't be the most entertaining thing in the world."

Harry had finished tying the other trainer, and now just sat on the floor looking up at Albus. At Albus's words, Harry's face went slightly red, and he looked down at the lace of his trainer. "Actually, Albus, I wanted to speak with you." Nervously, Harry started biting on the edge of his thumb and continued looking at his trainer. "I wanted to apologize to you about yesterday; I shouldn't have left the forest trail. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten lost and worried you both so much."

Albus took a deep breath and sighed; if Albus had been honest with himself, he had been more worried about Harry than angry. Sure he had put wards up around the property edges so nothing could get in, but Harry could have gotten hurt in so many other ways. He had worked on calming Minerva down after the boy had gone missing. She had been frantic and kept repeating that she knew they should have put wards around the forest. He was, after all, the son of James Potter; even if he couldn't remember his father, the boy had to have some of the man's tendencies, and exploring had been one of them. Albus, however, had tried hard to remind her that Harry was his own person.

"Harry," Albus gave a soft sigh as he spoke the name. "Do you understand why Minerva and I were so worried when you didn't turn up?" Harry nodded but gave no verbal answer. "Why do you think we worried, Harry?"

Harry sighed as he realized Albus was not going to let him get through this without contributing to the conversation. "Because I could have gotten lost or seriously hurt in the forest," Harry muttered to the floor.

"That is it Harry," Albus said with a nod. "Even if we have wards up around the property so that no one can get in without permission, you still could have gotten seriously hurt, or even lost. You did, in fact, get lost, and if Minerva hadn't found you, I am quite sure you would not have been able to find your way back." Albus saw Harry nod his head quietly and continued on. "You also showed up with scrapes. While I am fairly confident that nothing can attack you within the wards, you are still a danger to yourself with your natural, youthful curiosity." Albus's eyes actually twinkled for a moment at this. "Tell me, Harry: how did you get those scrapes yesterday?"

Harry shrugged and just mumbled quietly, "I told you last night; I fell."

"Yes, Harry, but _how_ did you fall?" Albus probed further and could see the boy's ears turning red.

"I was jumping from one tree to another, misjudged the branches, and fell out of the tree." Harry still couldn't look at Albus as he spoke.

Albus just smiled at that. "Harry, I admire your youth and wish I could take part in it." This comment made Harry's head snap up, and Albus's smile widened. "I can assure you that you are not in trouble, my boy. I am merely trying to explain our worry for yesterday. Even if the wards keep intruders out, you are still able to hurt yourself by accidents, such as falling out of trees. As such, the few scrapes you received were a blessing considering you could have broken your neck; then you wouldn't have been able to move, and it would have made it harder for Minerva or me to find you."

Harry simply nodded; it really was good reasoning. There was just one more question he had to ask. "Albus, why was Minerva appointed primary disciplinarian?"

Albus couldn't help but smile at this; he wondered when the boy would ask that. "Because, dear boy, you would not want me to be the primary disciplinarian. I can assure you that Minerva is strict, but she is softer than I."

Harry tilted his head to the side to stare at Albus as he let this sink in. Would Albus really be harsher than Minerva?

"I do not fancy the corporal punishment method, Harry; in that regard, Minerva has me beat. I also do think she was a touch hard on you, if only because she didn't completely explain herself. She also didn't warn you of consequences beforehand. I admit that that is something we should have discussed together when we sat down to discuss the rules."

Harry just nodded quietly, and when he did speak, it was barely a whisper. "I don't want just one person in charge of discipline; it will make me afraid of Minerva, and I don't want to be afraid of her."

"I see." Albus steepled his fingers together as he observed Harry. "I guess your request is fair, my boy. I am sure Minerva will prefer it that way as well. We'll just have to take everything in stride."

"I understand," Harry nodded. Then, biting his lip, he looked up at Albus and said, "You said you don't do corporal punishment; what are your consequences, then?"

Albus's face was still calm, but he became more serious. "I strongly believe in restrictions. This can range from sending you to your room for a day, taking away a privilege or item for a few days, or even taking your allowance away for a week or so." That first weekend, Harry, Albus, and Minerva had gotten together and discussed an allowance for Harry to give him a little pocket money, but also to show him the value of money. Since he was 11, he was going to receive 13 sickles a week. This was about equal to £3.82 (or $7.70) in muggle money. It wasn't much, but it gave Harry a bit of spending money. It wasn't like an 11-year-old had tons to buy anyway. Besides, he would spend most of his time in a boarding school where there was precious little to buy.

"I also believe in sending a child to the corner to calm down," Albus continued, "and to allow myself a moment to calm down, but I will always give you a set amount of time. Another option is to set you lines or essays, or give you an extra chore or so like Minerva set when you stopped picking up your room."

Harry nodded; that all seemed fair and was easy enough to understand, but he was still not convinced that sweet Albus could be a harsh disciplinarian, though he had no intentions of finding out. "I just wish there was a way to warn me," Harry spoke quietly. "Like, tell me when I'm doing something not acceptable, but not really big enough to get in major trouble."

"Such as?" Albus probed as he thought a moment.

"Well, like when Minerva threw the pile of clothes on me that morning. I guess that was kind of a warning. I don't know. Never mind. It's stupid." Harry was now red in the ears and playing with the lace of his trainer.

"It is not stupid, my boy," Albus spoke comfortingly. "At Hogwarts, we have a system called house points. Achievements earn you house points, while any rule breaking loses them. What if we did something similar for home? We could do a privilege point system that gives you a warning but also a reward, and maybe even something to look forward to."

"How do you mean?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, say you did something extra or were super good one day. Minerva or I could give you 5 privilege points. If you got into trouble, like not picking up your clothes, we could take away points. Then, as you earn points, you can cash them in for prizes."

"Like what kind of prize?" Harry asked curiously; so far, he really liked this idea.

"We could go on a special outing, or you could get something you've been wanting for a while. Different things would be worth a different amount of points." Albus was thinking this up as he went.

"What would happen if I went into the negatives in privilege points?" Harry asked cautiously as he thought about it.

"Well," Albus paused as he thought, "you could be on restriction or have extra chores until you get out of the negatives."

"Ok, that sounds alright," Harry nodded.

"We would have to discuss this with Minerva of course," Albus stated casually, at which point Harry just nodded his head. Taking a deep breath, Albus rose to his feet and offered a hand to help Harry up. "Let us go eat before she comes and knocks our heads together for being late." Harry just smiled and followed.

**·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·**

Once Harry had set the breakfast table, it was time to eat. They had a wonderful breakfast of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and bacon. It was all delicious, and Harry ate every bite that was set before him.

"Minerva," Albus spoke after cleaning his plate. "Harry and I were discussing a type of privilege point system and were wondering what you thought."

"What type of point system, Albus?" Minerva had also finished her breakfast and was now sipping a cup of tea.

"Well, it will be similar to the point system at Hogwarts, but it will be just for Harry," Albus stated, pouring himself a cup of tea. He then went on to explain the privilege points that he and Harry had discussed.

"I like it, Albus," Minerva smiled at both Albus and Harry. "It is like Hogwarts's system, and that is what I'm used to. Harry will also be more used to Hogwarts, since he'll spend most of his time there. I think it will be a real advantage."

Harry just smiled as he took another piece of bacon and began chewing on it. Things hadn't ended in disaster this time; that was a plus. That also meant that it would be a good time to bring up the adoption. "I've been thinking," Harry stated quietly after he finished his bacon. "I really like it here, and I would really like the adoption."

That stunned everyone at the table, but after a moment, both Albus and Minerva smiled brightly and said at the same time, "That's wonderful Harry."

They were both shocked, however. It wasn't that they weren't happy about it; they just both knew that they hadn't been able to do much with the boy. Minerva had been off taking muggle-born students to Diagon Alley and explaining things, along with a million other things she had to do. Albus had also been busy with the start of term quickly approaching. It was true that they had always had one of them home with Harry at all times, but even at home they had both been busy. That hadn't seemed to affect Harry, though, since he still wanted the adoption.

"Alright Harry, my boy, if you are sure that's what you want, Minerva and I will start looking into the details of it all," Albus said with a smile and drained his cup of tea.

Minerva just smiled as she sipped at her tea. "Alright, if we are going to be a family I want us to act like it." Both boys looked at her curiously. "We'll be at Hogwarts, but I want us to take one evening a week to just enjoy each other. How about Monday night?"

"That sounds wonderful Minerva." Albus smiled and stood to begin clearing the table. Harry caught this, jumped up, and started helping. "My only question is why Monday?"

"Well, I would say Friday, but that is the start of the weekend, and Harry might want it to be able to spend time late with his friends." Minerva stated. She carried her own dish to the sink, and turned on the enchanted sink taps so that warm water flowed in. "Monday is the start of the week, and can be very hectic. We can use that evening to just de-stress and enjoy each other's company." Both boys nodded in agreement.

**·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·**

Harry was getting more nervous as the time got closer for him to leave for the train. Minerva had left for Hogwarts right after breakfast, and that left Harry with Albus. Before Minerva had left, however, a large hourglass was positioned by the fireplace to keep track of Harry's privilege points. As Harry earned points, they would drop into the bottom of the hourglass; as he lost them, they would fly up again. Harry was also given a pocket-sized one to carry around with him at Hogwarts so he would know how many privilege points he had.

Albus couldn't help but think that Minerva had been a touch hard on the boy the day before; it had, after all, been an accident. He couldn't take away Harry's 50 lines, since he had to turn those in to Minerva, but once he was done, Albus walked to the boy's room and knocked.

"Come in," Harry called glumly. He had never imagined he could be so bored just sitting in his room. At the Dursleys', it had been blissful when he was sent to his room because he got away and got to be alone without having to work. Now it was torture!

Albus entered carrying a chess set and found what he saw quite comical. Harry was lying on his bed with his stomach to the ceiling, but his torso and head were hanging off the edge of the bed. As such, his mop of black hair was nearly touching the wood floor, and he was swinging slightly, so his hair looked as if it were sweeping. "Ah to be young again," Albus commented. At that, he watched Harry give a feeble smile, but not move from his position.

"I'm bored," Harry stated simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I was always told that only boring people get bored." Albus's eyes twinkled as Harry made a face at this statement. "How about a game of chess, Harry?"

"I thought I was on restriction."

"So you are. However, I believe that Minerva stated that you had to be in your room this morning. She said nothing about my coming to your room." Albus's smile brightened as he spoke.

"Brilliant!" Harry proclaimed with a grin. With that, he flipped his legs over his head and landed on his bum on the rug in his room. Then he saw the chess set and his face fell.

"What's wrong, Harry? Don't you like chess?" Albus spoke as if it were nothing major. "I am sure I can find something else."

"It's not that," Harry stated simply with his cheeks slightly red. "I... I never played chess before." He looked at the ground as he said it, feeling very embarrassed.

"Oh, well that's not a problem; I can teach you. We have plenty of time," Albus smiled and placed the chess set on Harry's desk. "I do hope you will be able to forgive me for insisting we play up here; I am no longer young, Harry."

"Of course, Albus," Harry smiled and jumped to his feet. He was going to learn to play chess!

"Well, the first things you should know are the names of the pieces." As Albus started setting up the board, he picked up each piece and named it as he showed it to Harry. "This here is a pawn, bishop, knight, rook, queen, and king. The point of the game is to keep your king standing and to knock mine down. Each piece has a certain way they can move; that is where it gets complicated."

With that, Albus proceeded to explain the rules of chess and followed up by playing a match with Harry. Albus went easy and worked on assisting Harry. It gave Harry a start when all he had to do was tell the piece where to go, and it would move. He about jumped out of his skin when Albus's bishop took one of his pawns. The piece shattered at it was smacked in the middle by the bishop. The pieces were also none too kind to the poor boy and made his head hurt at the conflicting things they shouted at him. In the end, as Harry had known he would, Albus won the game. It didn't matter, however; Harry was just glad to have spent some time with the man.

**·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·**

"Alright Harry, my boy, I do believe it is time to go." Albus stood with a smile and began shrinking Harry's belongings. Looking at the clock in his room, Harry could see that it was 10:00. That left exactly one hour to get to the station. Wouldn't that be cutting it close? As if reading his thoughts, Dumbledore smiled and said, "We will be Flooing to Diagon Alley and take the trolley from there." With that, he picked up Harry's shrunken school trunk and placed it in his pocket.

"Oh," was all Harry stated as he grabbed Hedwig's cage.

"Well, if you are ready, my boy, let us be off. I assume you remember how to use the Floo?" Dumbledore held Harry's bedroom door open for him and followed the boy out.

"Y-yes sir." Harry didn't sound confident.

"You will do fine, Harry. I would go along with you once again, but you have your owl, so it is already cramped enough." Albus spoke calmly, and he could see Harry relax a bit. "Just speak clearly, Harry. Now, take a handful of Floo powder. That's it. Throw it into the fire, step in, and say 'Diagon Alley.'"

"Diagon Alley," Harry spoke clearly. There was no way he wanted to end up anywhere else.

**·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·**

Harry's Floo travel was successful. He wasn't used to landing, however, and fell face-first on the floor of the Leaky Cauldron. His glasses broke at the bridge, and Hedwig squawked in protest; she obviously hadn't liked being forced through the fireplace, seeing as she had started screeching as soon as Harry stepped into it back at the cabin.

Harry barely had time to get to his feet when Albus Flooed to his side. "There you are, my boy. See, I told you it would be successful." Albus beamed. It took him a moment to realize that Harry was clutching his glasses to his face because they were broken and then held out his hand. "Here, let me help with that. _Reparo_." Giving Harry's glasses a tap with his wand, the bridge mended itself easily. Harry was impressed; it had even gotten rid of the tape that had been holding them together previously. He was definitely going to have to remember that spell.

"Well, we had best be off, my dear boy; we don't want to miss the trolley." With that, Albus withdrew Harry's trunk and unshrunk it. He cast a featherweight charm on it and easily carried it out of the pub and into the streets of muggle London. "This way we don't have to unshrink it with muggles watching," he explained.

They stopped at the street corner to await the trolley and climbed aboard once it arrived. Albus paid the trolley fair for two, and then motioned for Harry to head down the trolley and take a seat. Once seated, Albus pulled out some yarn, knitting needles, and began knitting away, just like Hagrid had done when Harry had ridden with him a month ago. Also like with Hagrid, the other passengers on the trolley just stared at Albus as he knitted. Harry couldn't blame them; although he wasn't a giant that took up 3 seats by himself and looked like he was knitting a canary yellow circus tent, Dumbledore stood out just as much. With his long white beard and hair, he looked like Father Christmas, and the bright red jumper he was knitting didn't hinder this image.

They rode the trolley for half an hour, and Harry was content to just watch London pass as they drove. There was nothing muggle that he wanted to talk about right now, so he figured he had best just keep his thoughts to himself. Once they reached King's Cross, however, Harry fished around in his jacket for his ticket. Reading it, his eyes suddenly went wide.

"Albus, there must be some kind of mistake," Harry stated in disbelief as he looked at his ticket. "This says Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters."

"Ah, yes," Albus replied with a smile. "There is no mistake, dear boy. The Hogwarts Express will pull out of Platform 9 ¾ at exactly 11:00 without a moment to spare. Follow me, if you will."

With that, Albus fetched them a trolley, placed Harry's trunk on it, and undid the featherweight charm. Hedwig's cage was placed on top of the trunk. She had calmed down considerably now that she wasn't spinning inside green flames. Harry pushed the trolley as he followed Albus, but he couldn't help but wonder what on earth his ticket meant by Platform 9 ¾; there was no such thing. All of the platforms were whole numbers, and when they arrived between platforms 9 and 10, it was no different.

"Alright, Harry, now what I want you to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10." Albus spoke happily, but Harry thought he was completely mad. "Don't worry about crashing into the wall; it will take you to the correct platform. You go ahead of me; I'll stay back to make sure you get through and then follow."

"Erm, ok," Harry stuttered looking at the wall. He still thought Albus was out of his mind, but he took a deep breath and started running for the wall. Harry shut his eyes, bracing for the impact of brick against the metal of the trolley, but it never came. Stunned, Harry opened his eyes. Upon doing so his mouth dropped open as he saw a scarlet steam engine underneath a sign that read "Platform 9 ¾ Hogwarts Express."

Harry was still taking it all in when Albus appeared beside him. "Well, my dear boy, I see you made it." Albus's eyes twinkled as he looked down at the stunned Harry who could simply nod in response. "I will help you onto the train, Harry, but then I am afraid I must say goodbye. I really must be getting to Hogwarts, seeing as there is just so much to do before the start of term."

"I understand, Albus." Harry gave Albus a tight hug around the middle, then grabbed one end of his trunk and helped Albus lift it onto the train. He was completely oblivious to the stares the pair was receiving from the rest of the people on the platform; after all, it _was_ the Hogwarts Headmaster and Harry Potter, the boy who lived.

Once Harry's trunk was on the train, Harry turned to give Albus one last hug goodbye. Now that he had someone that didn't think they would die of disease if they touched him, Harry absolutely loved hugs. Albus was also very fond of them and loved the child-like trust that Harry provided. With one last squeeze of affection, Albus let Harry go, bid him farewell, and Disapparated out of sight.


	8. Almost a New Beginning

**Author's Note: I want to thank you all for the lovely reviews. This will be the last chapter this year, but hopefully I'll be able to get one up the start of January before I start my student teaching. I hope you all had a good Christmas or whatever you celebrate. I got a Hogwarts a History journal and a Ravenclaw scarf! My son also got a t-shirt that says 'Muggle born' and a onsie that says 'Accio Milk' and they are adorable. I'm glad so many loved the last chapter.**

**In this chapter I have sandwiches offered on the train since I've never liked how only sweets are sold. There ARE responsible teens out there that don't want just sugar for lunch. I also think that Neville is under used only to come out as a big hero in the last book and that has been majorly annoying to me. Let me know what you think of this chapter:-)**

**Lily  
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Chapter 8: Almost a New Beginning

After Albus left him at the station, Harry was starting to truly wish he didn't have to ride the train with everyone else. Albus had told him that the train ride would be several hours long, that they would arrive at Hogwarts a little after dark, and then have a late dinner after everyone was sorted into their houses. What in the name of Merlin, as Minerva would have put it, was he supposed to do for the next several hours? He didn't even know anyone. He also wasn't the most outspoken of people. He wasn't the type to just walk up to a random group of people and start talking to them. Past experience had taught him that that didn't usually work very well. Of course, past experiences also found him in hand-me-downs twice his size, as well as the biggest kid in school hanging over him and anyone brave enough to speak to him. That, however, was completely forgotten in Harry's mind.

Slowly, Harry pulled his trunk down the corridor of the train. Albus had dropped him off at about 20 minutes to 11, and as such, there was still plenty of room on the train. Once he was able to find an empty compartment, he pushed his heavy trunk against the wall and flopped into a seat with a sigh. This was supposed to be a new beginning for him, but he would still be friendless because he was too chicken to go out and talk to someone. Harry guessed that it didn't make things easier that Albus had refused to tell him how they were to be sorted. He said that it was a surprise, and not knowing how he would be sorted made Harry even more nervous. What if he made a fool out of himself for the entire school to see? Then he really _would _be friendless for eternity.

"Just suck it up and go talk to someone. That's the only way you're going to make any friends, you spineless jellyfish." Harry was giving himself a pep talk and was halfway out of his seat to force himself into the corridor, when the compartment door opened and a round-faced boy walked in and went slightly red in the face.

"Do you mind if I sit in here? There are people in every compartment." The boy looked shy, and Harry was amazed he didn't stutter.

"Yeah, go ahead," Harry said, motioning to the empty seats. He then helped the boy drag his trunk into the compartment and set it next to his.

"I'm Neville," the boy stated, plopping down into a seat, but still looking like he was going to pass out. He was clutching a large toad in both hands and held him up for Harry to see. "This is Trevor. My gran bought him for me when I got my letter; she was so proud. He doesn't seem to like being caged up, however, because he keeps getting away." Trevor seemed to prove his point as he looked like he was trying very hard to escape Neville's grasp.

"It's nice to meet you, Neville," Harry stated with a smile. Obviously, he wasn't the only nervous one here, and it really _was_ nice to meet him. What's more, this boy had as much as said that it was his first year as well. "Don't worry, Trevor is probably just excited. There are just so many new things going on all around. He'll adjust soon, and hopefully stop running away from you."

"Oh I hope so," Neville piped up. "Gran gets so annoyed because I can't seem to keep track of everything easily." Neville sighed sadly. "I want to let him free, but I'm nervous that if the door opens again he'll escape and be lost again."

"Yeah, I would wait until the train starts moving; then there will be less chance for him to escape." Harry personally didn't think anyone else would bother coming into their compartment, but he couldn't be sure, especially since he hadn't even expected Neville to enter.

Harry was correct in assuming Neville should keep a hold on Trevor until the train started moving, because just then, the compartment door opened again. A scrawny, red-headed boy with freckles stepped in. Immediately, both Harry and Neville noticed he had a smudge of dirt on his nose, but neither boy made a comment as he was already slightly red in the face.

"Er…hi," the boy stammered. "Could I sit here? Everywhere else is full." The boy was nervously shifting his weight from leg to leg.

"Sure," Harry shrugged with a smile. Then, both he and Neville helped the other boy drag in his trunk and place it next to the other two. The trunk was battered and worn but usable. This didn't keep the redhead from blushing as he saw it next to Neville and Harry's new ones.

"I'm Neville, Neville Longbottom," Neville said with a smile. "I'd shake your hand, but Trevor will escape."

The redhead actually gave a smile at this. "You have a toad?" he asked, eyeing it with amusement. This comment made Neville blush, but the redhead just waved a hand. "That's not what I meant; I have a pet, too." With that, the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a rat. "This is Scabbers, and he's none too glamorous either. Probably less so than a toad since he doesn't even do anything. He used to belong to my brother Percy, but he got an owl for becoming Prefect, so I got Scabbers..."

Harry and Neville couldn't help but smile at that, and Neville felt better about his toad. Now it was Harry's turn to blush as Hedwig gave a light screech from her cage. Here he was, once more, the oddball out.

"I'm Ron by the way, Ronald Weasley." Ron seemed more comfortable now and plopped down into a seat. Then, both boys looked at Harry.

"You never told me your name," Neville stated plainly. The train whistle sounded just then, and they jerked forward as the train started moving.

"Oh yeah," Harry stated with a smile. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

Both boys' jaws dropped at this as they started at him, and as if they were one, they shouted "NO WAY!"

"That's awesome!" Ron stated with a big smile. Harry was bright red in the face again. Hagrid and Albus had told him he was famous; the wizards at Diagon Alley had been tripping over themselves to meet him and shake his hand, but he was still getting used to it all.

"D-do you really have the...the…you know..." Neville could barely force himself to look at Harry as he spoke.

"The what?" asked Harry, truly perplexed.

"The scar," Ron whispered. This just made Harry smile and nod as he pushed back his fringe to show off the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. "Wicked," Ron stated with an awed smile as he leaned back against the seat. "Do you remember anything?"

Neville shot Ron a nervous look as if to say that they shouldn't pry, but Harry just shook his head. "It's alright. No, I don't remember anything but a lot of green light if I try really hard."

"I see," Ron stated, still in awe.

"Are both of you from full wizard families?" Harry asked, opting for a change of subject, since he had a sinking feeling that Ron and Neville knew more about him than he did. When both boys nodded, Harry sighed, "You probably already know loads of magic."

"I heard you went to live with Muggles," Ron spoke, but Neville nodded. "What are they like?"

"Horrible," Harry stated, making a face of disgust. "Well, not all of them. My aunt, uncle, and cousin were, though. I always wished for siblings, but my cousin hated me."

"I'm an only child," Neville spoke up this time. "It's really boring having nobody to play with all the time."

Ron sighed heavily and both boys looked at him. "It's not all it's cracked up to be. I have 5 brothers and a sister." Now it was Ron's turn to have the other boys hanging on to his every word. "I'm the sixth to go to Hogwarts, and I have a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left. Both were prefects, and now Percy is as well. Bill even became Head Boy, and Charlie became Quidditch Captain. Now Bill is a curse-breaker for Gringotts, and Charlie is studying dragons in Romania. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they are pretty funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal because they did it first. You also don't ever get anything new. I have Bill's old robes, second-hand supplies, and you've already seen Percy's old rat." Ron sighed again and stared out the window.

Trying to help Ron out of his slump, Harry and Neville teamed up. Harry told them that he didn't even know he was a wizard until Hagrid showed up to take him to Diagon Alley and that he was treated like he didn't even exist. Neville stated that everyone thought he was a screw-up, and for the longest time, they hadn't even thought he was magical at all because he took forever to show signs of it. Even then, they didn't think he was magical enough to be accepted to Hogwarts.

Both boys talked about everything under the sun concerning magic. Harry was relieved to be able to talk to some kids that had been around magic their entire lives and was even thrilled to learn that they hadn't been able to practice magic. There were also tons of kids from muggle families, so Harry was not as far behind as he had feared. He was also able to ask lots of questions; he may have been with Albus and Minerva for two whole weeks, but they were busy, and Harry didn't like to annoy them with lots of questions. He had learned a bit staying with them, however, so he didn't feel like a complete idiot.

About half past 12 their compartment door slid open. A kindly looking woman was pushing a trolley of food and smiled, before asking, "Anything off the trolley dears?" Harry was famished and leapt to his feet. Neville also leapt to his feet, but that was because he saw Trevor leap out the door for freedom.

"Excuse me," he stated and pushed his way into the corridor shouting, "TREVOR!" Nobody noticed Ron's blush as Harry stepped forward to see what the lady had to offer.

She had lots of candy, but she also had some sandwiches. The candies were wizard candies, of course, and Harry was fascinated. Albus had, of course, used Harry as a taste tester for just about every type of sweet in existence, but Harry still liked the hopping chocolate frogs and other things the wizarding world offered to those with a sweet tooth. At the same time, however, he could hear Minerva telling him he had better get some real food into his system as well or he would regret it.

When he finished his purchases, he sat back down and watched a red-faced Ron pull out a package of squished sandwiches. Harry felt bad for him and wound up sharing his sweets. Ron was hesitant, but after a few moments he joined Harry, and Ron's sandwiches were forgotten. Harry made sure to eat two grilled cheese sandwiches, however; that way he would honestly be able to tell Minerva that he had eaten something besides candy. After all, he still had to give her his 50 lines she had set him yesterday since she had left right after breakfast.

Harry and Ron were experimenting with the one sweet Albus hadn't introduced Harry to—Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans—while Ron talked him through the wonderful game of Quidditch, when the compartment door opened, and the blond boy from Diagon Alley entered. He was flanked by two boys that were about as big as Dudley, and he showed a lot more interest in Harry than the day they had met. It turned out that his name was Draco Malfoy, and Harry didn't like where this confrontation was going from the very beginning. As it turned out, he had been right to worry; it didn't end well, but it was still quite entertaining because Scabbers wound up biting one of the goons that flanked Malfoy, and they were finally left alone without having to worry about fighting.

**·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·**

The rest of the train ride passed without excitement. Neville returned teary-eyed because he still hadn't found Trevor but pushed his troubles aside when Harry offered him some chocolate frogs and told him that he was sure Trevor would turn up eventually.

Neville's mind wasn't to return to Trevor soon because they arrived at the train station and were ushered into boats by Hagrid. This would have been interesting, but the 3 boys were joined by a bushy-haired girl that wouldn't stop talking. She kept going on about how much she had read about Hogwarts, but she finally shut up when they rounded a bend and the magnificent castle came into view.

**·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·**

The next hour or so was a complete blur to Harry. Hagrid had led them into the castle and turned them over to Minerva. She looked even more intimidating standing in front of the sea of first years, and Harry was immensely pleased when she spoke to them as a group and didn't single him out in the crowd.

Then there was the major shock of meeting the Hogwarts ghosts, followed by finally being led into the Great Hall by Minerva. Harry repeated "Professor McGonagall" in his head over and over again as he walked to remind him that at school she was no longer Minerva to him. Once inside the Great Hall, however, Harry felt like his knees had turned to water. They stood before the entire school, and he hated it. They then had to try on a battered old hat that would shout out which house they belonged to. Harry about had a heart attack when the hat tried to put him in Slytherin, but he somehow managed to convince him that anything was better than Slytherin, and he ended up getting put in Gryffindor, along with Ron, Neville, and the annoying girl from the boat.

Now he was seated at the Gryffindor table and eating as many good things as he could fit on his plate. Everyone was chatting about different things and just looked comfortable. Now that the sorting was over and they were eating, most, if not all, of the stress seemed to have disappeared.

"Can you believe how strict Professor McGonagall is?" Ron asked with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. Neville just nodded silently beside him.

"She's not that bad," Harry stated with a smile. "She's definitely strict and doesn't put up with funny business, but she at least tries to explain things. She's also very fair, but I'll tell you now that she's not a woman you want to anger."

Ron's mouth was now hanging open, but it was his brother Percy that spoke up. "You just explained her nearly perfectly Harry. You got all of that after just a 5 minute lecture?"

Harry's face was slightly red and he shook his head. "No, I lived with her for the last two weeks of summer."

Percy's eyes were as big as saucers, Hermione looked like she had a new best friend, and Ron and Neville looked at him like he was from space. "Why did you spend some of the summer with Professor McGonagall, Harry?" Percy was the one to speak, but the others were hanging on his every word.

Harry just shrugged. "It wasn't just Professor McGonagall. I stayed with her and Alb... I mean, Professor Dumbledore together." Ron had started eating some fried chicken and about choked on it. Percy's eyebrows about shot into his hair in shock, and Hermione looked like she would drill him for information the minute she found paper and a quill.

"Why were they together?" This time Percy's question wasn't directly towards Harry, but he looked up at the Head Table.

Harry was growing increasingly red in the face and started moving his peas around on his plate just looking for something to do and wishing desperately that he had kept his mouth shut. "They rescued me from my relatives' house in August. They are now going to get married so they can adopt me." Percy had put a goblet of pumpkin juice to his lips, but this statement made him spit the juice all over the table in shock.

"What did you say?" he demanded so forcefully that Harry wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. He repeated his statement, though, and Percy just stared at the Head Table. "He's twice her age," he whispered. Then, he started talking to himself about how strange of a match it was, and Harry wondered if he should have kept this to himself.

"Barking," Ron muttered as he stared at his brother. Then he rounded on Harry again. "Why didn't you tell me you were living with the bleeding Headmaster?"

Harry just shrugged, but Hermione beat him to it. Honestly, she was so annoying. "You have to remember that you've only known each other a few hours." She was annoying, but she had a point.

Ron, however, didn't appreciate her opinion. "Yeah, well, Harry's my best mate and knows all about my family." Then, they were off in an argument that Harry didn't want to be part of. Instead, he turned to Neville who just shrugged.

"I doubt you'll be able to say anything that won't interest at least somebody," he stated, before shoving a piece of kidney pie in his mouth.

"Why is that?" Harry asked in horror. He wanted friends, yes, but didn't want everyone hanging on his every word.

"You're Harry Potter," Neville stated simply. "You've also been out of touch with the wizarding world for 10 years, so naturally everyone is going to want to know what you've been up to, what your life has been like, and what you have to say about everything."

Harry just sat there in horror. He stared up at the Head Table once more, mostly to distract himself. Scanning it, he saw several faces he recognized. There were Minerva and Albus, of course, then Hagrid, and Professor Quirrel. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Then, he saw a face he didn't know—a teacher with a curtain of long, greasy, black hair and a long hooked nose was watching him. Harry didn't know why, but he got the sinking feeling that this particular professor didn't like him, didn't like him one bit. This was just great.

This was supposed to be a new beginning, a way to make friends and just start over. He just had to be the Boy Who Lived, though. Therefore, he was never going to be normal; instead, he would have to deal with people like Malfoy who just wanted to be his friend because of his fame and who knew what else. In a way, this wasn't a new beginning. No, he had started this story 10 years ago; then, he had taken a break, but the rest of the world hadn't. Ron would complain about having a lot to live up to, but at least that was just his family. Harry had just shown up in this wizarding world, and it was clear that _he_ had a lot to live up to, and he didn't even remember why everyone practically worshipped him. No, this was not the new beginning he was hoping for, not even close. Well, at least it was _almost_ a new beginning; that would have to do.


	9. The Puzzle of Class

**Disclaimer: I have used direct quotes from Rowling in this chapter. It's Harry's first potions class, and I figured that Snape's speech wouldn't change.**

Chapter 9: The Puzzle of Class

As Harry tried to find his classes the next morning, he couldn't help but wish he had been able to spend some time at Hogwarts before actually starting the school year. Merlin knew Albus and Minerva had been to the castle enough times. Why he hadn't had the brains to ask to come with them once or twice was beyond him. It wasn't as if he had had anything better to do. To make matters worse, September 2nd was a Monday, so that meant they flew right into classes. They had been led to bed after the feast, so the first years had no chance to get to know the school.

Harry decided that his Hogwarts classes made up one giant puzzle. There were a hundred and forty-two staircases that they had to navigate their way through, and they weren't just ordinary stairs either. Many liked to move so that they led different places, and on top of it, some didn't even really lead anywhere but just continued going up. It was only through magic that this was possible, since no matter how long you climbed, you never got past the middle of the staircase. The ones that didn't move were no less of a trick since some had vanishing steps that you had to remember to jump if you didn't want to get stuck in them and have someone pull you out. That was just one piece of the puzzle.

Another piece was the doors. Many had passwords, others didn't open unless you asked politely or tickled them in the right place, and then some just pretended to be doors. It was quite infuriating when you tried your very best just to get around and be where you were supposed to be.

Yet another piece concerned the school ghosts and other students. Both wandered the school and spoke. Both also offered directions, but it didn't take Harry long to figure out that the directions weren't always correct. At one point, Harry and his group had asked for help finding the library and wound up finding the school infirmary. With Ron cursing the fifth year that had led them astray, Harry couldn't help but be glad they hadn't been looking for a class.

While the students and ghosts together made up a piece of the puzzle, Peeves was a piece all his own. Peeves the poltergeist knew no mercy. As far as he was concerned, this was all fun and games. The older students even had trouble with him, and a poor little first year stood no chance. Harry had learned quickly to do the absolute opposite of what Peeves told him to. That was, if Peeves told him anything. Peeves was more the type to make you fall flat on your face or pelt you with objects so that you ran in the opposite direction than what you needed.

Another puzzle piece Harry and his friends had to fit together was the caretaker, Filch. Filch was always in a bad mood and ready to harp on students for any reason. Harry, Ron, and Neville had taken to running in the halls, desperate to get to their next class on time, when Filch stepped around the corner and towered over the terrified trio telling them not to run in the corridors. Filch was even more impossible to sneak around because he had a cat named Mrs. Norris that wandered the corridors. You wouldn't even see her half the time, but when you did, it was too late. She was constantly on alert for wayward students, and when she found some, she would whisk away and return with her master huffing as if he were about to have an asthma attack. Of course, when Harry mentioned this to Ron and Neville, neither one of them had any clue what he was talking about. They had never heard of asthma before, though with how out of shape Neville seemed, Harry thought it was a wonder he didn't have the condition himself.

Class itself was a puzzle, once you managed to find it, of course. They were so packed with information, and it was barely the first week of school. Professors Flitwick and Sprout were cheerful enough. They introduced themselves and then spent the first class introducing the type of work they would learn through the year. Harry was excited about all the interesting little charms that Professor Flitwick showed them and couldn't wait to get started. He wasn't the only one that was depressed to find that they wouldn't make objects zoom around the room until their fourth year.

"Too bad," Neville muttered sadly as he clutched Trevor in his hands after having had him zoom into his hands. "I would never lose him again."

Harry had to agree that, for Neville, this particular charm would be most useful. Trevor wasn't the only thing he kept losing, even though it was the only thing that could really run away from him.

Professor Sprout's class reminded Harry of a gardening class but with magical plants. Harry and Ron were both alright in the class, but Neville seemed to have found his true calling. In every class all week long, Hermione had known everything that was asked and could spout answers off as if she had swallowed the textbook. Nobody had been able to match her, but in Herbology, Neville was right beside her, earning as many—if not more—points for Gryffindor as Hermione.

When it came time for Minerva's class, Harry found himself repeating the feeling that she was not someone to be crossed. She explained everything perfectly, but she was not cheerful. Instead, she was strict and made it clear from the beginning that she would not allow them to fool around in her class. Harry wanted to say that Professor McGonagall was completely different from the Minerva he knew, but that wasn't true; granted, Professor McGonagall seemed a bit more up tight than Minerva, but that was probably due to the fact that Minerva only had Harry to look after, while Professor McGonagall was not only a teacher but also the Head of Gryffindor and the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. Harry had a sinking feeling that if she let even one tiny thing slip, then her entire world would come crashing down. Therefore, it didn't take much to figure out why Minerva had been such a perfectionist those two weeks Harry had been with her and Albus.

However, Harry was glad to see that Minerva treated him no differently than the rest of the kids. It was hard enough being the boy who lived; he didn't need the entire school knowing that he was now the charge of one of the teachers at Hogwarts, let alone the charge of one of the teachers _and_ the insanely famous Headmaster.

By Thursday, Harry had decided that his least favorite class was, hands down, History of Magic. Even though it was the only class taught by a ghost, Harry personally felt that Professor Binns couldn't make it more boring if he tried.

"You would think after living a full and productive life he would be able to liven up his lectures," Ron had grumbled as he shoved his book as deep into his bag as possible, probably trying to make it disappear for good. The other boys could only nod as they tried to make their way to lunch. Even with all the work they had to put into Transfiguration, it wasn't as bad as History.

It didn't take Harry 10 minutes into his first class to silently thank Minerva for forcing him to learn to write with a quill over the summer. Since Harry hadn't had any summer homework to do before term started, Minerva had forced him to practice writing with a quill during his study time each day. She had given him a little book of blank parchment to write in, as well as a primer to copy. It had been so boring—and at times so infuriating—that he had wanted to just chuck both the copy book and the primer into the lake. Now, however, he vowed he would be eternally grateful to her for not making him suffer through learning to write in front of his classmates.

It hadn't escaped Harry's attention, however, that Hermione also knew how to write with a quill. "Can that girl do everything?" he had once asked Ron who could only shrug.

"For your information, when I learned that we would be using quills instead of pens at Hogwarts, I bought an instruction guide on how to use quills and spent hours practicing so I wouldn't make an idiot of myself when I got to school." Harry had jumped about a foot in the air at hearing her snippy voice.

"Where did you come from?" Ron asked, spinning around to glare at her. Harry just tugged his friend's sleeve to keep him going. He had wondered that himself, but he wasn't rude enough to demand it. At least, not in the way Ron had. Then again, Hermione seemed to annoy Ron the most of the three boys.

"I'm in your same classes, Ronald. Honestly," Hermione huffed as she pushed past the boys to hurry to their next class.

"That doesn't mean you have to be so close all the time like some crazy stalker," Ron quipped back. "Dean, Seamus, Parvati, and Lavender are in our classes, too, and you don't see them listening in on private conversations."

This made Hermione whip around and fix the redhead with a nasty glare. "Private conversations shouldn't be taking place in the hallway where any passerby can hear you," she spat. "Besides, you shouldn't discuss other people behind their back; it's very rude." With that, Hermione spun around again and stormed down the corridor with her bushy hair bouncing behind her.

Honestly, Harry found that Hermione was a puzzle piece all her own. He didn't find her half as annoying as Ron did, but he couldn't stand her as much as Neville seemed to. All he could really do was try to ignore her. He'd had enough practice at the Dursleys'. Hermione may never shut up, but Harry had learned long ago to just tune stuff out. That was a lesson he was going to need to teach Ron soon, unless he wanted to spend the next seven years in hell with the two constantly bickering.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

It was Friday morning, and Severus was more than ready to end the week. He hated the first week of school, and it didn't matter what term it was. Fall term was the worst, however, because he had all the little first years to deal with.

The evening of the feast, he had introduced himself to the new Slytherins and given them a rundown of the rules he expected them to follow. He had then issued the standard Map of Hogwarts for them to use the first little bit while they tried to figure out their way around the castle. He had then instructed them to be back in the common room at eight o'clock sharp the next morning so he could run over a few things.

That was a system Severus had set up years ago; if the second of September fell on a weekday, he would schedule his first years and himself to have the next morning free. That way, he could spend the time he needed to make sure his Slytherins were well cared for. During this time, he would run a diagnostic test on each one to make sure they were well-nourished. If problems arose, he would chart what vitamins and such they were lacking, as well as any special needs or allergies they had. Having all of this down made it that much easier for him to care for all of his little snakes. It also made things easier on Poppy Pomfrey when they wound up in the hospital wing.

He would also have them perform a reading and writing test; just because they were 11 years old, it didn't mean they could read well or write legibly, especially with a quill. If they failed either one, he would sign them up for a special class to assist them so that they were put on the path to success right from the start.

After Severus made sure that his little snakes were healthy and would be able to succeed in their classes, he headed up to the dormitories and had them pull out and show him all of their school things. He would then check against his list to make sure that they had everything they would need for classes, as well as to keep them warm in the drafty castle once winter set in. This was especially important for the Slytherins, since their common area was clear down in the dungeons.

After this yearly, mundane task was finished, Severus was free to start classes. It was no less a hassle there, since, no matter what their year, the students all seemed like incompetent dunderheads more focused on their social lives than paying attention to the potions they were supposed to be brewing. Honestly, it was a wonder that he'd managed to keep his dungeon intact all these years.

Now it was Friday morning, and Severus was about to face his first year Gryffindor and Slytherin class. Usually he loved his first class with the students; it was his time to truly shine and scare them into undoubted submission. This particular class, however, would have Harry Potter. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and the blasted savior of the wizarding world. As if that were not enough, he was also the spawn of James Potter and Lily Evans. His Lily had gone and married that arrogant bullying toerag. As bad as all of that was, that wasn't even the end of it. No, the Dark Lord had then sought his beautiful Lily and murdered her. Despite Severus's pleading for her, the Dark Lord had murdered her as if she had been nothing, and now her son—James Potter's son—was living under Albus Dumbledore's roof!

Any normal person would ask, "What do you care?", but Severus _did_ care; he cared a lot. He had thrown everything he had with Lily away simply because he was embarrassed. That arrogant bullying toerag had hung him upside down for the entire school to see. Then, sweet and innocent Lily had tried to defend him, and he had called her a mudblood. A _mudblood!_ The worst thing he could have called her, and he had done it. That right there had cost him his beautiful Lily forever because she had never forgiven him.

After Lily's painful rejection, Severus had started running around openly with Lucius Malfoy and his group. That had led to joining the Dark Lord and eventually to telling the Dark Lord about the prophecy, and the child meant to destroy him. With that information in tow, the Dark Lord had thought it was Lily's boy and murdered her after she'd tried to protect the boy. Upon hearing that his master had even planned to kill his true love, Severus had been distraught and ran to Dumbledore absolutely desperate. He had begged Dumbledore to save her and promised him anything. He had then turned spy for the old man and soon grew attached.

Now, 10 years later, Severus thought of the man as his father; the father that he had never had. Tobias Snape had spawned and raised him but had never loved him. Even after all Severus had done, however, Albus Dumbledore had forgiven him and taken him under his wing. He had been a mentor and a role model. Albus had shown Severus love and kindness, and the two had adopted a type of father-son relationship. Not legal, of course, but Severus felt that it was just as binding. Now, however, Dumbledore was about to adopt the spawn of the arrogant bullying toerag. Not only was he going to adopt him, but he was even going to marry Minerva to do it, AND MINERVA WAS CONSENTING! Minerva was half his age, but she was consenting to a "marriage of convenience" so that they could legally adopt—and therefore fully protect—Harry Potter. This was completely outrageous!

Severus sighed. He was a grown adult; there was no reason for him to be feeling like this. It was just hard to get over past prejudices, especially when it came to James Potter.

When he learned that Dumbledore would be taking Harry in as his own charge, Severus had decided to stay away. He still had to mull this all over. Precious James Potter's son, the savior of the wizarding world, was not the pampered prince he had thought. Of course, if Severus had known the boy was being sent to live with Petunia Evans—now Petunia Dursley—he could have predicted the outcome as a lot worse than it was. Now the boy was going to be Dumbledore's son. It had come as a real shock, and Severus had felt quite hurt. He couldn't dwell on that, however; it was just something he had to get over.

Now Severus couldn't put it off any longer. He was going to have to face the children this morning. He had to teach him in a double session of Potions. As Severus slipped into his black teaching robes, he sighed heavily; getting through his double potions session was going to be interesting, to say the least.

Severus waited in his office until the last minute, as usual. When there was one minute before class was to begin, he went next door; as soon as class was to start, he walked in and shut the door. This was how it always worked. If he didn't start off on a firm note, there would be no saving his reputation. Striding to the front of the room like a billowing black storm, he picked up the roll that was lying on his desk.

"You will stand and respond with 'present' when I call your name." Severus's words were sharp, and he hid a smile as he saw that some of the "brave" Gryffindors were already backing deep into their seats in fear. "Brown, Lavender." Severus always started with this to be able to place a name with a face from the very beginning. As such, he looked at each student as they rose. He always loved it when Gryffindors were at the top of the list. Then they had no example to go by with the Slytherins. Sure enough, Brown stood and could barely squeak out her presence. "Sweet Merlin girl, learn to speak up," Severus sneered. If this was the load of trash the new Gryffindors brought in, Slytherin would have no trouble winning the House Cup. "Bulstrode, Millicent." When the Slytherin stood and appropriately announced her presence, Severus nodded for her to sit. After Crabbe, Vincent and Davis, Tracey spoke up as well, he finally reached another Gryffindor. "Finnigan, Seamus." The Gryffindor stood and spoke loud enough for Snape to hear clearly, but that didn't keep him from sneering before giving the nod to sit and moving on. "Goyle, Gregory." The giant clone of his father stood and gave good vocalization before returning to his seat. "Granger, Hermione." Severus had seen the girl the night of the feast and had already decided she would be annoying. Seeing her now didn't improve his assumptions; she was constantly on the edge of her seat, looking ready to prove herself—as if sitting in the front row hadn't been enough. When Severus called her name, the girl shot into the air like a bottle rocket and practically shouted her presence. Severus just glared. "You will do well to remember, Miss Granger, that we are indoors, not at the Quidditch Cup. Sit down." He couldn't suppress the smile that twisted his lips when the girl sank into her seat looking crestfallen. He liked when students knew what they were doing, but know-it-all show-offs tended to get on his nerves. Greengrass, Daphne spoke up, but Severus's sneer widened when Longbottom, Neville could barely even stand, let alone speak. Oh this was going to be fun. Malfoy, Draco didn't disappoint, and neither did Nott, Theodore or Parkinson, Pansy. Patil, Parvati was also decent. Then, he reached the name he didn't want to speak and paused.

Looking at the James Potter clone for the first time that period, Severus was stunned by those vivid green eyes. He truly had Lily's eyes, and seeing them on James Potter's face hurt Severus like hell. It brought all of that hurt back, and Severus found himself wishing he had looked at the boy before now, before he was on display for the entire class to see. He masked his features, however, and forced his sneer to return. He was the spy that had pulled the wool over the Dark Lord's eyes; he could hide his pain from a few teenagers. "Ah yes, Harry Potter, our new…celebrity." He heard snickers from his Slytherins, and his sneer widened. That was just the distraction he needed to keep him from falling apart right there on the floor. The boy stood like the others, and Severus was impressed to see that he kept to the same standards, even though he was obviously already known. Thomas, Dean, Weasley, Ronald, and Zabini, Blaise provided no further entertainment, so Severus threw the roll back onto his desk and paced the aisle between the tables.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making." It was his normal lecture. Tell them from the start what was expected, and hold them to those standards without question. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Severus didn't doubt that they were, in fact, just that. Besides Miss Granger looking ready to prove herself no matter what it took, the rest of the class hardly looked interested. Sure they were paying attention and absolutely silent, but Severus just had that gift. Even his Slytherins that he prided nonstop in public could be complete idiots when it came to potions. He couldn't show annoyance to Death Eater children, however, so he pushed through. He was expected to show annoyance at the other students, particularly Gryffindors, so that was where it all lay. If he could express proper disapproval of the Slytherins, he probably wouldn't be as nasty to others, but in order to keep his spy cover he couldn't trash the Slytherins. As a result, he was even nastier towards those he could be nasty to. Since Gryffindor shared his class with Slytherin, his wrath fell heavily on Gryffindor heads.

"Potter!" Severus snapped at the boy, and noticed in satisfaction that he jumped. Here was a chance to see how much like his father the boy was and see just how much he had hoodwinked the headmaster with his sympathy card. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Severus saw the Granger girl's hand shoot up instantly but ignored her as he watched the wheels in Potter's brain turn. Finally, the boy spoke up. "I believe that makes a sleeping draught, sir." The boy paused, but just for a moment, and then added, "A really strong one known as the Draught of Living Dead."

"Death," Snape snapped. "Draught of Living Death." Honestly, he was quite impressed; he hadn't expected the boy to know anything. Maybe, just maybe, the boy had inherited more of his mother than those beautifully stunning eyes. He wasn't the only one impressed, but he was the only one not showing it. Weasley smiled at his friend, and Granger gave a small pout as she put her hand down. Severus, however, kept his expression blank. Since Albus was taking the boy in, and the boy had known at least something, Severus decided to give the brat a chance. "As Potter has shown, you all should have at least looked through the book. I will expect you to read the next lesson ahead of actual class. I will give random pop quizzes. It is important for you to know what you are doing _before_ you come so that you are not bullshitting your way through and messing it up. You don't have time to waste reading and re-reading instructions."

Severus was still pacing the aisle watching his class. Then, with a wave of his wand, the instructions for a boil cure potion appeared on the blackboard. "The instructions and ingredients are also in your books. Pair up and get to work." Severus then set about observing the potion brewing and had a hard time keeping his mind off Potter. As such, he occupied himself with dishing out as much criticism as possible and made a big show of praising Draco's potion. It wasn't any better than Potter's, and it was a far cry from Granger's, but he couldn't let anyone know that. Instead, he praised it as if it were the best in the class.

There was a loud hissing sound from the other end of the potions room, and Severus's head snapped up to see that Longbottom had melted Finnigan's cauldron and that students were now jumping onto their stools to keep from getting burned by the acidic liquid seeping onto the floor. Longbottom had been sprayed by the potion and had boils popping up all over as he moaned in pain. "Idiot boy," Severus snarled, as he stormed over to the timid Gryffindor, robes billowing behind him. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Severus sneered and rounded on his partner. "Are neither of you capable of following instructions? 5 points from Gryffindor, Finnigan, for not helping your partner. Now get him to the hospital wing." With that, Severus waved his wand and the acidic potion disappeared as the two Gryffindors walked away.

Severus thanked Merlin they made it through the rest of the double session without anything else happening. It honestly was a good thing the first year potions weren't fatal; it gave him an entire year to figure out which idiots he needed to keep a closer eye on as the potions got more dangerous. It was never a good sign when the first potions lesson turned out with such a mishap, though. That meant he was in for a very long year—more like a very long seven years. Severus figured he had already had his hands full in dealing with the fact that James Potter's clone had stolen his Lily's eyes, but now he had to deal with a brainless Longbottom. It would be nothing short of a miracle for him to make it out of these next seven years with his sanity intact.

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**Author's note:**

**I want to thank you all for your reviews. They not only give me motivation, but they also give me ideas. I hope you all had a good New Year. I will try to get another chapter up before I head back to do my student teaching on the 9****th****. I am so glad that so many enjoy my story, and I love hearing your opinions and ideas.**

**For those of you who are curious, I looked on Harry Potter Wiki for the list of names for all the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Daphne Greengrass isn't exactly from a reliable source, but I put her in anyway, figuring the more students I could get, the better. I did stick with the well-known 9 Gryffindors, though. I also decided to put the last half in Snape's perspective to show a little more what he's thinking and to show that he's going to give Harry an honest shot here. You will get Harry's thoughts on it in the next chapter so don't worry about that.**

**Sincerely,  
>~Lily<strong>


	10. Duels and Discussions

Chapter 10: Duels and Discussions

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As far as Harry was concerned, he was glad to get out of the Potions classroom. He really didn't get a whole lot of fuzzy feelings down there. While the subject fascinated him, he couldn't help but wish a different professor taught it. One that didn't seem like they were going to eat him if he made a small mistake. Though in all honesty, he could understand what a small mistake could lead to after seeing Neville land in the hospital wing just for putting the porcupine quills in before taking the cauldron off the fire. Of course, messing up would have been an easy thing to do if you hadn't read the instructions, and that meant you had to come to class with the instructions read since there wasn't time to pore over them deeply while you made the potion. Harry didn't know why, but he made a vow to work on making potions one of his best subjects. Now that he had books all his own, he would be able to write in them and mark them the way he wanted, and he intended to do just that—especially when it came to Potions.

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The second week of classes went by easier than the first week, if only for the fact that he actually had half a clue where he was going. Minerva had rewarded him with 10 behavior points for making it through the first week of school without getting into trouble and just handling it all so well. As a result, Harry found himself thanking Merlin that Potions was only once a week and that that was the only class the Gryffindor first years had with the Slytherins. It made his life blessedly less chaotic without having to worry about Malfoy.

While Harry was glad for the simple things—like being away from Malfoy—Ron found himself getting more and more irritated that Hermione seemed to know everything. Ron would often complain about her, but Harry let it all roll off him like it was nothing. He was realizing that his redheaded friend liked to complain a lot, and it really was just complaints. He didn't expect anything to be done about it, and he always had something new to complain about. Harry also had his hands full trying to keep Neville from feeling worthless. Harry wasn't top of his classes, but Neville was at the bottom of everything except Herbology.

Things got even more complicated when it was announced that flying lessons would start the second week of school. Harry was having mixed feelings at this news; he wanted to learn to fly, but he was scared he'd make an idiot out of himself. To make matters even worse, Gryffindor first years were scheduled to have these lessons with the Slytherin first years. If there was one boy Harry hated more than Dudley Dursley, it was Draco Malfoy. In light of that event, Harry found that the last thing he wanted to do was make an idiot out of himself in front of Malfoy and end up breaking his neck.

His nerves weren't anything compared to Neville's, however, and Harry could understand why. Neville had a hard time staying upright with both feet on the ground. Harry didn't want to think about the many possible dangers of making the boy fly through the air on an enchanted stick of wood with twigs.

Hermione's nerves were something nobody knew how to deal with, since she was always the confident know-it-all. Flying wasn't something you could learn in a book, though, and as a result, Hermione looked just as panicked as Neville. As usual, nobody cared and her random facts fell on deaf ears while everyone worried about themselves. Of course, several children from magical families—like Ron—already knew how to fly and were just excited.

Things brightened for Harry when his was one of the only brooms to shoot into his hand at the first attempt. However, they took a steep dive when Neville's broom decided to act on its own and finally dump him from high in the air.

Harry and Ron rushed over to kneel by their friend, but the entire class was right behind them. Madam Hooch had to, quite literally, shove students out of the way in order to get to Neville so that she could assess the damage. She declared it a broken wrist and told everyone that she would be taking him to the hospital wing and also that nobody was to touch their brooms until she got back on threat of expulsion.

Everyone was headed back to the field where class had started chatting animatedly about Neville when Malfoy stooped down and picked something up out of the grass: Neville's Remembrall. When Harry saw it, he stepped right up to Malfoy. He had been bullied all of his life, but he wasn't going to let it continue to be that way. This was a new life for him, and Harry had vowed to stand up and defend himself and his friends. He had never had any friends before, and now that he did, he was going to make sure they could depend on him for support.

When Malfoy took off on his broom out of Harry's reach, he had to think things through a little. Madam Hooch had told them not to fly until she returned or that they would be expelled. He had also never flown in his life, and Malfoy had been flying all of his. Malfoy's taunts reminded him so much of Dudley that Harry grabbed his own broom after just a few seconds. His next obstacle came in the form of Hermione grabbing hold of him and telling him that he couldn't possibly go after Malfoy because he didn't know how to fly, and they weren't supposed to until Madam Hooch got back. Her telling him what to do just sparked that anger even more, so he yanked out of her grasp and took off on his broom after Malfoy.

As it turned out, Malfoy was just a good bluffer. As soon as Harry showed up in front of him, Malfoy's smug look disappeared. He refused to give up without a small kind of victory, though, so threw the little glass ball as hard as he could. Determined not to let his friend's Remembrall be broken, Harry dove after it and was able to catch it just in time to pull out of the dive without crashing into the ground below.

The first thing Harry saw when he turned around with the Remembrall clutched high in his fist was his fellow Gryffindors cheering. The second thing he saw was Minerva storming toward him looking ready to kill.

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Minerva had been in the entrance hall when Rolanda had walked by with Neville Longbottom. She didn't have a class at this time, so Rolanda had asked her to watch the first years for a moment since they still had their brooms and hadn't learned to use them yet. Minerva agreed, knowing that they probably couldn't be trusted to stay out of trouble if unsupervised with brooms. Sure enough, as soon as Minerva got to the field where Rolanda had been teaching them, she could see two small figures in the air. Hurrying forward, she made no effort to hide her anger.

Minerva had just made out the white blonde hair of Draco Malfoy and the messy black hair of Harry Potter when the blonde threw something with all of his might. Minerva felt her heart stop as she watched Harry dive after the falling object and thought she was going to pass out when she saw him barely pull out of the dive in time to keep from breaking his neck.

It only took her half a second to catch her breath, and then she resumed her journey toward the first years. She was so flooded with emotion that she could barely tell which way was up. She found herself absolutely horrified that Harry could have gotten seriously hurt seeing as he had never flown before, and even the most advanced flyers would have a hard time pulling out of a dive like that. She was also angry that Harry and Draco had broken Rolanda's rule about not flying until she returned. At the same time, however, she felt great pride that he had been able to pull off such a dive without any training. He truly was a natural. He was a natural that could help Gryffindor win the House Cup for the first year in a very long time. She hadn't seen any talent that good since Charlie Weasley, and even he couldn't have pulled off that dive.

She could barely form words, let alone a complete sentence, when she stormed over to collect Harry from the crowd. Without any explanation, she told the boy to follow her and then made her way back through the castle. She knew it was kind of unfair to only drag Harry off when she had seen Draco in the air as well, but right now her only concern was Harry. She would see Rolanda around later, and would tell her about Draco's part in this stunt then. For now, she just had to push her way through her stampede of emotions as she got her heart to stop racing.

She didn't say a word as she walked Harry through the corridors of the castle. She could sense his fear and dread, but she honestly didn't trust herself to speak. She already knew that she may very well regret this, but it was too great of an opportunity to pass up. Therefore, she didn't hesitate as she marched to Filius's classroom and asked for Wood. When the burly 5th year appeared looking as confused as Potter standing beside her, most of her emotion had bled into excitement, and she lost no time explaining what she had just seen and that Harry would make a perfect Seeker for Gryffindor's Quidditch team. She decided that this was so astounding that, just this once, she would forget any thought of punishment. She did, after all, have a soft spot for the boy. Add in the fact that this could be her ticket to beating Slytherin and that Harry had been trying to save something for a friend, and she simply didn't have the heart to scold him. She did, however, issue a warning to him to make sure to practice hard.

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"Are you serious?" Ron had a chicken leg halfway to his mouth, and he was staring at his best friend as if he had just sprouted a tail. "First years don't make the house team. Blimey, they aren't even allowed their own brooms."

Harry could just shrug as he brought a bite of steak and kidney pie to his mouth. Neville was still in the hospital wing, so it was just the two friends together at dinner, and Harry had just told Ron the news about making Seeker. "Miner— Professor McGonagall says that I'm the youngest Quidditch player in a century." Harry was still getting used to using the names correctly, since even at school he sometimes called Minerva and Albus by their first names. Often, actually, since the only time he didn't was when they were in class or in a student-teacher position.

"She must have been really impressed." Ron now spoke through a mouth full of chicken, since he seemed to remember that ten minutes ago he had been convinced he would starve to death.

"Harry, you shouldn't have done it." Harry jumped about a foot in the air and nearly fell off the bench when he heard a voice beside him. Hermione had joined them without their knowledge and was now, as usual, offering her opinion on the subject.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Ron moaned, glaring at the girl.

"For your information, Ronald, I wasn't even talking to you." Hermione spoke in a very huffy voice, and refused to look at Ron. Instead, she focused her attention on Harry. "I know you got named Seeker, but Madam Hooch said we weren't supposed to fly. You could have gotten into lots of trouble and could have broken your neck."

Harry was about to reply when an even more annoying voice drawled out behind him. "You better listen to your girlfriend, Potter; you don't want to shame your new guardian by getting kicked out of school." Ron thought that Hermione was the most annoying person on earth, but Harry would listen to her jabber all day as long as he never had to hear—or see—Malfoy. "Dumbledore's golden boy chucked out of school because he thinks he's more special than he really is."

"Shove off, Malfoy." Harry spoke through clenched teeth and gripped his fork so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"If you think you're so good, Potter, why not face me in a wizard's duel?" This statement made Hermione gasp and Ron spin around in his seat.

"What—" Harry started, but before he could continue, Ron cut him off.

"When and where?"

"Ron, dueling isn't allowed," Hermione chastised, but Ron just ignored her.

"I'll be in the trophy room at midnight." Draco's sneer grew as he then walked away.

"Ron, I don't even know what—" Harry didn't get to finish, however, because Harry's owl—Hedwig—flew over to him carrying a small note. Opening it, he saw Albus's curly writing asking to meet with him after dinner. It was signed "Albus," so Harry knew it wasn't a meeting with the headmaster, but there was just something about it that made him feel a bit uneasy.

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When Harry got to Albus's office, he found Albus and Minerva discussing something quite heatedly. Without really thinking about it, Harry stopped outside the door and just listened quietly instead of letting his presence be known immediately. It wasn't that he wanted to eavesdrop; he just didn't like interrupting.

"Albus, I don't see why you are so upset about this." Neither of them was yelling, but by the tone of Minerva's voice, it was clearly an argument.

"I am not upset, Minerva; I am concerned about Harry. Someone tried to steal the sorcerer's stone out of Gringotts, and even if we don't know the whereabouts of Lord Voldemort, I don't feel comfortable with him becoming reckless. Even if it was just flying unsupervised, we don't know where it will take him. He's a curious boy that knows nothing about his past. Yes, that is because I kept it from him, but I didn't intend to keep it all from him. The Dursleys didn't do as I asked."

"That is not the boy's fault, Albus." Minerva sounded slightly exasperated.

"I know that, Minerva." Despite how frustrated Minerva sounded, Albus seemed to be remaining calm. "It's not just that, though. He is a curious boy, and I'm worried about approving reckless behavior like this. On top of that, however, you have bent the rules to allow him to be on the Quidditch team." This felt like a slap in the face to Harry. Albus didn't want him on the Quidditch team? "This is a dangerous sport; that's why first years are not allowed on the House teams."

"You didn't see him, Albus; he has true talent!" Minerva sounded desperate but absolutely pleased.

"That may be, but that doesn't change the fact that he's eleven and doesn't need to be worried about this insane sport." Albus's voice was beginning to take on an irritated tone. "He still has to get used to the school and everything that goes with it. That right there is the main reason first years aren't on the House teams. Harry already has more on his plate with finding out that he's famous and will therefore never have a normal childhood. We should be giving him every opportunity he can have to be normal. Putting him above the rules and making him a Seeker is not treating him normal, Minerva. I don't care how much talent the boy has."

As Harry listened to this, he completely forgot he wasn't supposed to be there. He was grateful that Albus wanted him to feel normal. He really didn't like all of the stares and whispers he got just by walking down the hall. At the same time, though, it scared him that Albus might take him off the Quidditch team. Not many people knew about this yet, but it would still be a big blow to him.

"You can't just pull him from the team. I've already told him and Wood that he could play." Obviously, Minerva shared Harry's opinion on this matter.

"I won't pull him, Minerva." Albus's tone was kind, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "I just want to tell the boy that he can't simply do whatever pops into his head. We are currently his guardians and are working on becoming his parents. We have to set guidelines for him to follow, guidelines that keep him safe. I know that you want the best team you can get. I, however, want you to think about Harry's safety. Ever since you were in school, you've been obsessed with Gryffindor beating Slytherin. So much, in fact, that it seems you would sometimes go to extreme measures just to make it happen."

Harry was confused at this turn in the conversation; did Minerva seriously care all that much? Why?

"What I urge you to remember is why you have that obsession," Albus continued in a calm voice. Harry couldn't see him, but he could picture the old man gazing at the young—in comparison—woman with that knowing look. "When that other Chaser rammed into you, knocking you off your broom, you were seriously hurt. You left that game with a serious concussion and several broken ribs. You were 17 at the time and much bigger and more experienced than Harry is right now. I understand your desire to see Slytherin crushed after that nasty play, but you shouldn't compromise Harry's safety for it. You are not the only one that has gotten hurt in Quidditch, even just here at Hogwarts. You brought up Oliver Wood, and you have to remember that he took a Bludger to the head his first game and was unconscious for an entire week. Fred and George Weasley are fantastic Beaters, but even they let those things get through now and then."

Harry heard Minerva sigh, and found his own mind reeling. People could get seriously hurt during this game and that was without broom malfunctions. To make it even more shocking was the image he now had of Minerva playing as a Chaser. Of course, he had a hard time imagining her in school at all; she may only be half as old as Albus, but to him, she was still old.

"I know, Albus; I haven't forgotten." Minerva's fight seemed to have left her, and she spoke calmly.

"Alright, Harry, I think it's time you join this conversation properly." Harry jumped at being addressed directly. He was still outside the door and had kind of forgotten what he was doing here in the first place. Albus had brought him back to earth, however, and now he was more than a little embarrassed. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but that couldn't really be changed now. Instead, he opened the door to see a very surprised Minerva and an amused Albus.

"How long have you been out there, Harry?" Harry felt a blush creep into his cheeks at Minerva's strict tone and looked at his feet.

"A while," he admitted shyly. "I didn't want to interrupt, and I didn't mean to stay out there so long."

"Next time just announce your presence, Harry." Minerva spoke crisply, and Harry could just nod.

"I'm really sorry about this afternoon." Harry now looked right at Dumbledore, and the older wizard just nodded. "I wasn't trying to get praise; I just get so annoyed with people that act like bullies, and that's all Malfoy is. Then Hermione started bossing me around, and I just took off." Harry knew he was babbling and making excuses. It wasn't Hermione's fault. It wasn't even Draco's fault—well, not entirely, anyway. He had chosen to go after Draco, though; Hermione had just tried to talk some sense into him.

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke quietly but never broke eye contact with Harry as he spoke, "I would like you to tell me what happened this afternoon. I know that you were flying when Madam Hooch told you not to and that you made a remarkable catch. What I don't know is why."

Harry sighed as he thought about how to explain everything. "Neville received a Remembrall from his grandmother, and it was on him when we were flying this afternoon. When he fell, it must have fallen out of his pocket because suddenly Malfoy picked it up and started going off insulting Neville and saying he was going to hide the Remembrall. As I said before, Malfoy is just a big bully, and I couldn't let him just pick on my new friends, even if they aren't around to hear him. I told him to give it back, and Malfoy got on his broom and told me to come get it. Hermione tried to stop me, and I got even more annoyed at being ordered around by kids my own age that I just took off after Malfoy. He lost confidence when he realized I could fly, and he threw the Remembrall and I dove to catch it. I just didn't want Neville's Remembrall to get broken. His grandmother is always frustrated as it is, and he really tries hard." Harry sighed and looked over at Minerva who was watching Albus.

"I understand you wanting to defend your friends, Harry, and even stand up to bullies. You've been bullied your entire life, and you don't want to go back to that." Albus was watching Harry intently, and Harry just drank in every word he spoke. "You don't have to, though. You are strong here and very independent. I know the only reason you were bullied by your cousin was because they ganged up on you, and you weren't allowed to fight back without getting in trouble. Now you won't get in trouble for defending yourself, but you don't need to break rules to do it."

"Yes sir." If Harry didn't know any better, he would have guessed that Dumbledore knew about the duel that Malfoy had challenged him to that night. Ron had explained a little about what was going on, and Harry had found himself wondering if this was a good idea or not.

"Now, Minerva already told you that you would be on the Quidditch team, so I won't contradict her. However, I will take 5 behavior points, and I want you to write me a one foot essay on why the rules are in place."

Harry could just nod as he watched Minerva and Albus; that seemed pretty fair all things considered. "I'll get right on it, sir."

"I'm sure you will, Harry. Why don't you give it to me on Monday night when we do our family bonding?" Albus had a small twinkle in his eye again and smiled over at Minerva. Then, he relaxed in his chair and pulled out his tin of sweets. "Have a lemon drop before you go, Harry. Of course, you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you, sir." Harry took the offered lemon drop and looked over at Minerva. "Did you really play Quidditch when you were at school?"

Minerva just smiled and then told Harry about her days at Hogwarts. Not surprisingly, she had been Prefect and Head Girl. She had also gotten top marks in school, and on top of it all, she had played Quidditch. Albus offered his memories of Minerva growing up, and the three of them talked for quite a while.

Soon it got close to curfew, though, and Harry knew that he should be headed to Gryffindor Tower. With a quick goodbye to Albus and Minerva, Harry left with a handful of lemon drops. A lot of things had happened today, and Harry was glad to be able to talk things over with someone that actually cared. Now that he was away from the Dursleys, he found that lots of people cared. Ron and Neville were his first real friends and saw him as a type of leader. They honestly cared if he was upset and were legitimately happy when something good happened to him. He also had Albus and Minerva to look after him and listen when he needed it. In a strange way, he also kind of had Hermione. Ron thought she was the most annoying thing on the planet, but she had really tried to keep him out of trouble this afternoon when he went flying after Draco, even if her reasons were probably related to Gryffindor possibly suffering for his choice.

Yes, Harry thought, he had lots of people that cared. He had no reason to prove himself and no reason to feel inadequate. He hadn't been sure about the duel thing earlier, but now he knew for sure that he wasn't going. He didn't care if Malfoy thought he was a coward; it was Malfoy that hid behind two big thugs he called friends. Harry didn't need to lower himself to his level. In fact, Harry decided that he was just going to pretend that Malfoy didn't exist. He only had two classes with the Slytherins, and each of them were only once a week. One of them kept him extremely busy, seeing as he was supposed to focus on the potion, and the other one—well, Malfoy had no material to taunt him with now that Harry knew he was a natural at flying. No, he was definitely not going to let Malfoy annoy him anymore—or, at the very least, get a reaction out of him.

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**Author's Note: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter up. I've been working with some serious writer's block. Coming up is "Monday's With Minerva" so I do have future ideas. Don't worry about that. I also wasn't able to get this chapter to my editor until Saturday night and she can't expect to be able to get it done instantly. I will hopefully update each Saturday. Anyways, for those of you who celebrate it, happy MLK day. It's the reason I have the chance to write since schools have the day off. **

**As for Minerva, those of you that are curious, I got the information about her playing Quidditch from Harry Potter Wiki. It didn't say she was a chaser though, and didn't say how she got fouled, so I made that part up.**

**~Lily**


	11. Mondays with Minerva

**Authors Note: Sorry it's late, but I hope it's worth the wait. I got sick last week so had to push through. I had a lot of fun writing the chapter though, so let me know what you think.**

**~Lily**

Chapter 11: Mondays with Minerva

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As it turned out, Ron gave Harry a harder time about not going to the duel than Malfoy did. Ron had spent all night trying to convince Harry to go to the duel and only shut up when Harry told him that he was already in trouble with Dumbledore and didn't want to risk more. It wasn't really a lie. He wasn't in major trouble, but Albus _had_ given him an essay to write about following the rules. In contrast to Ron, Malfoy didn't say a word about Harry flaking out. Instead, he looked rather surprised that he and Ron were still in school the next morning. Harry took this as a sign that it was a very good thing he hadn't met Draco in the trophy room. Albus was right; he had enough to worry about without going out and looking for trouble.

Potions class was less eventful than the previous week, if only for the fact that Neville managed to not be sent to the hospital wing. It didn't save him—or any Gryffindor, for that matter—from Snape's sneers and snide remarks. Harry was honestly going to be extremely surprised if Gryffindor ever made it through a Potions session without losing house points. He was also pretty sure that hell would have frozen over if Gryffindor was ever awarded points by Snape, period. Even Hermione found no favor in his eyes, and she knew absolutely everything. Harry's potions were passable, but Hermione's were never anything less than perfect. To top it all off, Harry had had a hard time finishing the three-foot essay Snape had given them for homework. Hermione, on the other hand, wrote absolutely tiny and had turned in five feet. Instead of praise, however, Snape told her that he was not impressed that she was an insufferable know-it-all, and that from now on he wanted her essays exactly the length he assigned or they would fail.

The only consolation was that the first year Gryffindors weren't the only ones having problems with the Potions Master. In fact, all of Gryffindor had several names for him that were less than appealing. Even though Harry had a hard time believing that disrespecting teachers was okay, he could easily see where many of the names came from. Ron constantly called him a greasy git, and that played off of the fact that he had a curtain of black, greasy hair. Fred and George called him the overgrown bat of the dungeons, and Harry had been unable to keep from laughing at that. Snape seriously did remind him of an overgrown bat because he constantly wore black robes that billowed behind him. It was actually pretty creepy.

Potions aside, things were going pretty well. Harry had now made it through two weeks of school and could get to all his classes without getting lost. He, Ron, and Neville decided to celebrate this accomplishment with staying up half the night just acting crazy. They played several games of exploding snap and teamed up against Ron in Wizard Chess. They were the last ones in the common room when they went to bed at two in the morning. They decided that they would be able to make up for it by sleeping until noon the next day. Harry, however, wasn't going to be that lucky.

"Harry." It was a whispered voice, but it was enough to make Harry groan and pull the covers up over his head. It didn't help, though, because he suddenly felt himself being shaken.

"Geroff," he muttered, waving a hand at the bother and curling down deep into his covers.

"Harry, we have to practice Quidditch."

Harry just groaned and blinked blearily up at Wood, who looked annoyingly alert. He then fumbled for his glasses and looked at the clock by his head. Seeing that it was 5:03 AM he groaned and put the pillow over his face. "Wood, you're insane!" he exclaimed through the down of the pillow.

"I've been getting that a lot this morning, but we have to start practicing." Wood didn't seem at all fazed by the fact that the sun hadn't even come up yet. "Get up and get a nice shower; it will help wake you up. Practice starts at 5:30."

It didn't take long for Wood to realize that his words were falling on deaf ears because Harry had fallen back to sleep. "Oh no you don't." Wood yanked the covers off of Harry, but Harry just curled his body up tight to make up for the lost warmth. Wood wasn't giving up that easily, however, and grasped Harry's ankles and pulled him off the bed.

Harry fell with such a thud that Dean and Seamus both sat bolt upright in bed and looked around to see what was going on. Harry himself groaned as his body hit the hard floor and contemplated just lying there on the floor. He finally pulled himself up, though, and gave in to his tormentor.

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With his early morning torment aside, Harry made it through the weekend mostly unscathed. Sunday also saw a late night, but that was for last minute homework rather than fun. Harry had never understood the complaints about Mondays before. When he had lived with the Dursleys, he had been forced to work hard all day long, and even fairly late. Come morning, he was up early to start it all over again. School had actually come as a break to him, since he had about seven hours where he didn't have to do chores.

However, he was now able to relax on the weekends. It was Monday, the seventeenth of October now, and he wished he didn't have to get up. When he did manage to get up, he found that his brain just didn't work right. Half the information he had learned just last week seemed to have leaked out of it. Whoever had come up with the idea to start school at nine in the morning seriously needed a different job. Their schedule made things even worse because their first class was Transfiguration, and that was probably the class that took the most brain power.

At the end of the day, though, Harry had to admit that life really wasn't that bad. He had friends that enjoyed him just being him. He also didn't have to fail his classes just to keep from being in trouble for being smarter than Dudley, and he had someone that was always willing to listen to him. Albus may say that he might never have a normal childhood, but this was the most normal he had ever felt. All it took was getting used to the stares and whispers. After he managed that, he was able to mostly tune them out.

Probably one of his favorite times of the week was Monday evenings. He could talk to Minerva or Albus whenever he needed, but there was just something about this dedicated night. It wasn't really something he could explain, and he supposed that at eleven he was too old to want a special night just for him and his soon-to-be parents. At the same time, however, he just didn't care. He had never been able to just sit and talk with his family, and now that he did, he planned on taking advantage of every minute of it. He was also glad that Minerva required it, since he was pretty sure he would feel too much like a baby to just go himself. He was eleven years old after all, and to top it off, he was at a boarding school where the rest of the kids didn't get to see their parents at all.

When Harry arrived at Minerva's office, he couldn't help but smile. Albus and Minerva were facing off in a game of Wizard Chess, and both were concentrating hard. Silently, Harry pulled up a seat and watched the battle unfold. Albus and Minerva were both good at chess, and facing off against each other was a pretty good match. They were both logical, and after many years of teaching together had been able to play thousands of games against each other. As a result, they took each other very seriously. Harry made a mental note to tell Ron to challenge one of them. It would do his ego some good to be deflated a bit, since nobody in his family could beat him anymore. In the two weeks they'd been in school, Ron had even played half of Gryffindor Tower. They had made a kind of competition out of it, and Ron was still undefeated.

This particular game looked like it had only just begun. Minerva's lips were pursed tight in a way that Harry had come to understand meant that she was upset. In this case, though, it just meant she was concentrating really hard. Even Albus had lost the twinkle in eye as he stared intently at the board. In all actuality, it kind of reminded Harvey of a miniature version of a war, with Albus and Minerva as the commanding Generals and the chess pieces as the soldiers.

The game lasted a good half hour with Minerva finally toppling Albus's king. Minerva grinned triumphantly and Harry cheered. It honestly didn't matter who won; Harry always wound up cheering because he truly enjoyed the entertainment. The two weeks he had spent with them during the summer had seen many nights of chess games, and Harry never tired of watching them. He had even gotten a chance to play each of them a few times. He had known nothing about chess when he started, but now he could last a good five to ten minutes in a game against Ron, which was better than any of the other first—or even second—years could do.

"That's game, Albus. That means that your next password can't be the name of a sweet." Minerva leaned back and Harry just smiled. The small bets the two made against each other were as entertaining as the games themselves. Over the summer, Minerva had lost a game and had to wear her hair down for an entire day. Another game, Albus lost and wore red robes when he went to Hogwarts the next day. With his white hair and beard, Harry couldn't help but laugh since he looked like Father Christmas from Muggle children's books he had read.

"Alas, Minerva dear, I was so hoping to hear you sing 'You Are My Sunshine' to Filius. Such a shame." Albus winked at Harry, and Harry couldn't help laughing. He could only assume that the other teachers knew about the little wagers and found them amusing because some of them involved other members of faculty.

"Alright, Harry, care to play the winner a match?" At Minerva's words, the pieces pulled themselves back together and set up again.

"Only if I don't have to see how many sugar quills I can poke out of my mouth and still whistle." He looked over at Albus at this one who gave an innocent smile.

"I was simply curious, my boy. Next time, we can take a picture of you with sugar quills making a peacocks tail around your head." This made Harry laugh and shake his head.

"I don't plan on giving you blackmail, Albus; you enjoy it too much."

"I'm not the one that likes to see how much sugar it takes to make you explode." Minerva smiled at this, and Harry just nodded since it was true. "How about you recite the alphabet backwards while you hop on one foot, spin in a circle, and pat your head?"

"Alright, but if I win you give us no homework next Transfiguration lesson." Harry had no delusions about winning, but the thought of McGonagall not giving a mountain of homework had promise.

"Deal," Minerva conceded, and the game began, Harry concentrating as hard as he could.

Even with all of his concentration, it didn't take Harry long to be totally demolished by Minerva. It was how the deals went; Harry played his very best and learned from it. He wasn't going to get victory handed to him, and one of these days he would know that his win was legitimate.

Accepting defeat, Harry stood and began his hopping recitation.

"Z y x w v u t s r q p o n m..." It was taking Harry a moment to think of the alphabet in reverse, and it was made worse by his having to hop. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Harry toppled over. The fact that it had been left open meant that the new visitor had seen Harry's stunt, and he went red-faced as he sat up, even though he was still laughing slightly. Looking at the door, however, he went wide-eyed and silent at seeing long black robes and a sneering Professor Snape holding Fred and George Weasley by the scruff of their necks.

"Talented, Potter." It was hard to read Snape's face, but the sneer in his voice made Harry blush deeper. He didn't have to look at the Weasley twins to know they were highly amused, and by the time he got back to Gryffindor Tower tonight, everyone would know about his peculiar recitation.

"Severus, to what do we owe this visit?" Minerva spoke politely, but her lips had thinned considerably as she watched the twins.

"I found these two setting up fireworks in my classroom. I've had it with these two, Minerva; they are worse than all of your Gryffindors put together." At Snape's words, Fred and George seemed to beam with pride. They wiped their faces when Minerva glared at them, though.

"I can't disagree with you, Severus. Boys, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Minerva's lips looked like they had completely disappeared, and her tone was icy. The twins had sense enough to cringe, but Harry wondered how they were still standing.

"We just wanted to brighten his classroom up a little." Fred was the one to speak, and Harry found that he couldn't look at them or he would have to hide a laugh because the twins wore innocent expressions.

"Surely you can't fault us for charity work." This time it was George, and Harry couldn't help a snort as he studied the busted chess pieces before him.

"I have a hard time believing that charity work is even in your vocabulary, Mr. Weasley!" Minerva's voice was now sharp, and Harry busied himself with setting the chessboard up again. "For starters, charity work does not involve blowing things up. As a reminder of that, you can serve a week of detention with Mr. Filch. That is, if Professor Snape doesn't want you himself." Minerva looked at Snape this time, and his lips curled into a sneer.

"Oh, I'm quite sure I can find a use for them, Minerva. I will see you boys after supper starting tomorrow." At Snape's words, Fred and George groaned.

"I will also be writing to your mother, boys." Minerva didn't grow any scarier in Harry's opinion, but the twins suddenly looked at each other horrified. It became quite clear to Harry that the matriarch in the Weasley family was someone they feared. "Now, head back to Gryffindor for the rest of the night, and I will know if you don't."

"Yes ma'am." The tone in George's voice sounded like he wanted to ask Minerva how she would know, but he wisely kept silent as he and his twin filed past Snape and turned toward the common room.

With the twins gone, Minerva sank into her seat and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Severus. I swear; those two are going to be the death of me." With that, she turned to Harry sharply. "If you ever do anything that would warrant a letter home, young man, you can rest assured that your bottom will be quite sore. File that in your mind for future reference in case you ever get any bright ideas."

Harry could just nod as he watched Minerva silently. It really wasn't hard to see why the Weasleys feared their mother; the matriarch of a family could be quite intimidating.

"I'm sure that Potter is capable of many bright ideas, Minerva." Harry's jaw about hit the ground as he looked up at Snape. The overgrown bat of the dungeons was sliding into an extra chair, and for once, didn't wear a sneer. "You claim that the Weasley twins will be the death of you. I don't find them that different than Potter's father and company."

"This is true, Severus." At this, Harry turned to watch Minerva. He had often asked about his parents, and Minerva and Albus had told him a few stories. Both of his parents had been extremely bright and talented. They were even Head Boy and Girl in their time. His mother had been very sweet and smart but had a temper that matched her fiery red hair. It hadn't taken Harry long to learn that his father had been a troublemaker.

"Now, Severus, you will do well to remember that Harry is not James." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, but his voice was firm. Not reprimanding exactly, but it had finality in it that made Harry look at him. "As such, I don't want you to treat Harry like him. Let the past stay in the past."

This really confused Harry, and he looked back at Snape. "What's he meaning, professor? Did you know my father?"

Harry may have been confused, but Severus's look towards Dumbledore wasn't very friendly. At Harry's question, he turned his attention to the eleven-year-old boy and just sneered. "Potter, I will tell you now that you don't want to hear anything I have to say about your father. I don't want to fill you with bitterness towards me any more than I have to, so I'll keep my opinions to myself. However, I can promise you that I will attempt to not make my differences with him affect how I act towards you."

Now Harry's mind was really spinning. It was quite clear that Snape had known his father, but it was equally clear that he didn't like him. On a different note, though, Snape didn't want extra "bitterness" between them? Snape hated all of the Gryffindors, and he wasn't spared in that category. Nobody was. "Professor, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're talking about."

This made Snape laugh a little, which Harry decided was undoubtedly the oddest sight he had ever seen. Instead of Snape, though, it was Minerva that spoke this time. "Severus and your father had a few differences, Harry. He knows what it's like to not have a proper family and happy childhood, however, so he can sympathize with you. Severus is not one to publicly show his feelings, though, so he comes across as cold and uncaring."

"You do realize, Minerva, that if I babied all of the students in my class, nothing would ever get done and we would have a lot more accidents than we currently do?" Severus's tone wasn't cold, but more matter-of-fact than anything. He then turned to Harry and fixed him with an evaluating gaze. He didn't say anything for a minute, and it made Harry feel slightly uncomfortable. "Potter, as long as you legitimately try in my class, stay out of mischief that doesn't concern you, and respect me, I will repay the courtesy and not be overly harsh. I'm a strict teacher, Potter, and I don't have time for messing around. It only leads to accidents in my classroom, and some accidents can be fatal. Not with the potions you are working with now, but as the years go on, you will see more dangerous potions. If I don't train you properly now, you won't be ready then."

Harry listened to all of this and could only nod; it seemed fair. Snape hadn't been overly unfair, towards him at least. "I understand, professor. What I wonder, though, is why you're so hard on Gryffindor but seem to let Slytherin slide with everything. You never give points even to Hermione who does everything perfectly."

At Harry's question, Severus couldn't help a sneer. "Potter, how many times do you see other teachers award Slytherin points?"

Harry had to think about this for a moment. He hadn't seen any teacher but Snape give Slytherin points. At the same time, however, he had only had three classes with the Slytherins the entire two weeks of school, and two of them had been taught by Snape. "Professor, I don't see Slytherin gain points besides by you, but then again I only have your class and flying with them."

Severus nodded in consent. He guessed it really wasn't a fair question since the boy wasn't around the Slytherins much. "Alright, Potter, I'll give you that much. Next question, though: how many teachers freely give out house points to Gryffindor for doing what they are supposed to do?" Harry was about to answer, but Snape held up his hand to hold him off. "By doing what they are supposed to, I mean answering questions and doing a task correctly. You are supposed to come to class prepared, and by that I mean that you should have read the text. You therefore should be able to answer any question posed. You are also supposed to be doing the task assigned, and yet when you manage it, the professors give out house points as if you've managed some remarkable feat. Gone above and beyond, when in reality, you've only done what you were supposed to do. I don't award Miss Granger house points for answering questions or brewing a good potion because you are _all_ supposed to do that."

Harry had to think about this. As much as he hated to admit it, Snape had a point. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Snape didn't give Slytherin many points either; he just didn't take them away for being stupid. "I understand where you're coming from, professor, but you don't take points from Slytherin, just Gryffindor."

"You've come a long way with your brain today, Potter; push just a little more." Snape's words may have been harsh, but they weren't in a completely sneering tone like usual. "My goal in that classroom is to keep you all alive. That goal applies to right now and when you start handling more dangerous potions later. I've already briefed my Slytherins on what to expect from me, and they follow my directions because they know they don't want me on their backs. The Gryffindors, however, are easily distracted and tend to think they are above the rules. Think about the reasons I take points from Gryffindor, Potter."

Harry was finding that he really didn't like this talk. Of course, this was mostly because Snape was bringing up some very valid points. "You took points from Seamus when Neville messed up their potion."

"That is correct, Potter." Snape gave a curt nod before continuing. "I work you in partners the first semester so that you can become accustomed to what you are doing and get used to all of the steps and concentration it takes to make a potion. As such, I expect you to help your partner. With two of you, you should be able to follow directions even better. I couldn't very well take points from Longbottom since he was already a mess and had to go to the Hospital Wing. Why else have I taken points?"

"You took points from Ron for talking." Harry didn't mention that Ron had currently been telling him his theory on why Snape didn't wear a wedding band.

Snape's sneer returned at this comment, and he nodded. "Ignore for the moment that Mr. Weasley was currently calling me a greasy git with no feeling. The fact that he was talking about _anything_ besides the potion you were making put you both at liberty for distraction, and, as a result, mistakes."

Harry could just nod with a blush at hearing that Snape had heard exactly what Ron was saying about him. "You took points from Neville for trying to add the crushed fig leaves before the cut ginger root. That's because he wasn't following directions and could have messed up again like he did last week." Snape just nodded and Harry felt himself consenting. Previously, it had seemed as if Snape had just been picking on Gryffindor, but if you truly thought about it—from Snape's perspective, of course—then he had legitimate reason for everything, no matter how much they thought him unfair.

"You will notice that my Slytherins actually make an honest effort, Potter." Severus was pleased that Potter was figuring it out so nicely. "They know that if they don't, it won't be pleasant for them because I am their Head of House and can make their lives miserable without making it publicly known."

"I see." It was simple, but it was all Harry could say after having it broken down so explicitly. "What if we are making an honest effort but need a bit more help or practice? Potions is only once a week, and that's not a lot of time to practice when it takes so much work and concentration to perfect."

Severus just smirked at the boy's question. He really was catching on. It was quite possible the boy had inherited his mother's intelligence after all. If that was so, the next seven years just might be bearable. "This is true, Potter. Right now the potions you are required to make are not extraordinarily complicated, and I don't think it takes a lot more help than making sure you come to class knowing the required text. That will help you know how to make the potion in theory, and therefore will assist you when you do the practical. If you would like a bit of extra practice, however, I have Saturdays and Sundays that are available if you are more than willing to ask for my assistance, if you wish. All I ask is that you don't come to me knowing absolutely nothing about what you are doing. If that is the case, I will have no problem telling you that you are wasting my time and to get out of my sight."

"Yes sir." Harry could just nod. That seemed like a fair request. It may be odd speaking to Snape like this, but he was glad that the man had stopped by. He had gotten a lot of questions answered that would have been impossible to get any other way, and he was even starting to see just how Snape functioned. He was super strict and seemed sometimes cruel, but that was just him. In actuality, he was more like an antisocial Minerva. He was fair but had standards that he expected to be met, and he wasn't going to baby his kids to get them that way.

"Harry, my boy, if you've finished picking Professor Snape's brain, might I suggest we finish seeing your alphabet routine? I must say that I found it quite entertaining." Albus had a twinkle in his eye that made Harry shake his head as he thought about his earlier words. He really had to be careful about giving that man blackmail because it wouldn't take much to come back and bite him later.

"You do realize that with the Weasley twins seeing that, it's going to be spread around Gryffindor Tower long before I get back, and everyone is going to want to see it?" He stood, though. At the beginning of the evening, he would have been mortified to have Snape see him act like an idiot, but now it didn't seem so mortifying. Snape seemed to genuinely understand. Harry wasn't sure what made him feel like this, but he guessed it didn't matter, since he would be ridiculed for it later anyways.

"Well, that just means that you will be immensely good at reciting the alphabet backwards. I must say that it is probably a skill worth having. It's an interesting piece of information, at the very least." With that, Albus waved a hand as if signaling for Harry to begin.

"Z y x w v u t s r q p o n m l k j i h g f e d c b a." By the time the recitation was finished, Harry found that he was incredibly dizzy and had to grab hold of his chair just to keep from falling over.

"Very good, Harry." Minerva's lips were curved into a smile that showed she was amused and even Snape looked entertained in a way that Harry found himself suddenly hoping the Slytherins didn't hear about this.


	12. Hogsmeade Holiday

**Author's Notes: First of all, I want to start by thanking everyone for their amazing reviews. I got 10 last chapter, and that's the most I've ever gotten! Reviews really help because they show that the readers actually like what's going on, and some even give input on what they think can be improved upon, so thank you very much.**

**Second I want to apologize for how long it's taken to update. I'm trying really hard to keep up, but I'm in danger of failing my student teaching and I'm terrified. I've worked hard to get this far, and I can't just let them pull me without giving it everything I've got. That includes teaching all day long, if not most of it. So please hang in there. I'm sorry to beg, but I'm really doing all I can. Plus my editor is in school so she's super busy also or I would have had this chapter up probably Wednesday.**

**As for the chapter, I hope you like it. I wanted to explore the bonding between Albus, Minerva, and Harry, but I wanted to put his friends in the picture because having friends that go out with you is part of a healthy childhood, in my opinion anyway. I also wanted to show Harry's sensitive and observance side. Let me know what you think, and I'll try to get the next chapter, Thursdays with Trolls, up soon.**

**~Lily**

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Chapter 12: Hogsmeade Holiday

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It was Saturday, and Harry was peacefully sleeping in his comfortable bed in the first year Gryffindor boys' dormitory at Hogwarts. His mind was blissfully restful, and he had every intention of sleeping in until about 10 and just enjoying his Saturday.

Part of this was simply because there was no reason in the name of Merlin for Wood to wake him for practice at the crack of dawn. The first Quidditch match of Gryffindor versus Slytherin was only three weeks away, and Wood was going overboard with training. It was making Harry excited for his first ever Quidditch match, but it was also making Harry wish he was like normal first years and wasn't allowed to play. His body was absolutely exhausted, and it hurt more these days than it ever had at Privet Drive when he had been forced to work all day long doing hard chores. Today, though, he had told Wood that he had plans with Professors Dumbledore and Minerva, so Wood had grudgingly cancelled any notion of practice in the early morning but insisted that they would practice hard that evening.

However, at 7:30, Harry found himself woken up by the least likely source imaginable. One minute he was sleeping peacefully, and the next, he was being shaken with urgent whispers of "Harry! Harry, get up!" Immediately, Harry's alert system rose and his eyes flew open. He about fell off his bed in shock when he saw a freckled face with a full head of flaming red hair about an inch from his face, and he was barely able to stifle his shout. It didn't stop his heart from racing, though.

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed breathlessly as he flung his head deep into his pillow and shut his eyes to try and catch his breath. "What in the name of Dumbledore's white beard are you doing?" Normally speaking, Ron was not a morning person, farthest thing from it actually. They had to practically drag him from his bed in the morning to get to class on time—although the mention of breakfast usually did the trick.

"Harry, get up. We're wasting the day away." Ron didn't stop his assault, and suddenly Harry understood.

"Ron, go away! We aren't wasting the day; the sun is barely up!" With that, Harry grabbed his pillow and pulled it tightly over his face. It muffled the sound, but it didn't block out Ron's voice completely and Harry couldn't figure out how the other boys could sleep through this assault. Of course, it wasn't directed at them.

"Yes, but we still have to shower, dress, and eat breakfast. By the time all of that is done, the morning will be half over!" After speaking, Ron suddenly grabbed Harry's pillow and yanked it away from him.

"Hey!" Harry protested. With each passing moment, he was becoming more and more awake and was starting to realize that he was not getting back to sleep no matter how much he hated to admit it. He didn't have time to think about it anymore, however, because Ron suddenly hit him in the face with his own pillow. "Oof!"

"Get up, Harry. The longer you're in bed, the less time we have at Hogsmeade!" Yes, that was it. That was the only possible reason for Ron to be awake and ready to go at this time of day on a Saturday. In one of their Monday evening discussions, Minerva had decided that they needed to have a family outing and just get out of the castle together. She had decided that it would create good bonding time, and Merlin knew they were in need of that since they were a thrown-together family.

Albus had liked the idea and suggested that they all go to Hogsmeade for a weekend. They could even go on a weekend that wasn't a designated Hogsmeade weekend for students, and that would make it even more special. Minerva had agreed, and they had set a date that both she and Albus had available, which happened to be October thirteenth. Albus had also suggested that Harry be allowed to bring a few friends. Minerva found this a good idea, seeing as it gave the family bonding time but also allowed Harry a chance to mingle with a few close friends like a normal child would. Both Albus and Minerva wanted Harry to be comfortable bringing his friends around them, and this seemed like the perfect solution. Harry had therefore invited both Ron and Neville to join him and his "parents" in Hogsmeade for the day.

Ron had been so excited by the idea that he had been almost bouncing off the walls ever since. It didn't mean he had to beat Harry over the head with a pillow, though, especially not Harry's own pillow. When the feather-filled material hit him, Harry instantly grasped hold of it and yanked it from his friend. Sitting up in bed, Harry held it tight and wacked Ron across the head with the pillow.

"Oi!" Ron yelped as he stumbled backwards a second. He didn't let Harry deter him, though, and grabbed his pillow off his own bed before charging back at his best friend.

"You started it," Harry stated with a grin as he eyed his friend carefully. He had been good at this part in Harry-hunting with Dudley and his gang, but he hadn't been in a tangle of sheets and blankets and had always been awake for more than five minutes.

"I was only trying to wake you up." Ron swung wildly, but Harry blocked.

"I'm not the only one that has to be awake for this trip," Harry countered. "Even if Neville wasn't going with us, Albus and Minerva have to be ready, and I would love to see you attempt to rush Professor McGonagall." At this, he swung his own pillow at Ron and untangled his feet from his covers before getting out of bed to give him a better advantage.

Ron ignored the comment about hurrying the strict Head of Gryffindor, and soon there was a full-on pillow war. It had started in between Harry and Ron's beds, but the boys had no qualms about going around, or even jumping on and climbing over the bed to get to the other person. It didn't take long for Seamus, Dean, and Neville to be awakened by the pillow duel, but it did take the sleeping boys a few seconds to figure out that they were not under artillery fire. Once they figured it out, though, they grabbed their own pillows and joined in on the fun.

All five of the eleven-year-old boys were so wrapped up in their pillow war that they didn't even notice the mess they were making. It wasn't until Percy Weasley slammed the door open demanding to know what was going on that they stopped. It wasn't even eight o' clock on a Saturday morning, but Percy was fully dressed in his school uniform with his Prefect badge shining brightly on his chest. All five boys just stared at him as he stood there, face nearly as red as his hair.

"What do you think you are doing? It's barely morning, and you make it sound like a hippogriff has gotten loose in here." Although Percy's shouting wasn't anything new, it kept the five boys from continuing to attack each other. Well, that, and the fact that they were realizing that half of them had lost all of the feathers out of their pillows, and the other half were losing them steadily.

"What's a hippogriff?" Harry may not have been ready to continue destroying pillows with Percy there, but his curiosity had a habit of getting the best of him. Ron, Percy, and Neville looked shocked, but Dean looked just as confused. Seamus was the only one who looked indifferent. Of course, he was a half-blood so knew about both worlds.

"It's a magical creature that's half horse and half eagle," Seamus explained. Meanwhile, Percy seemed to have recomposed himself from the strange question.

"It doesn't matter, just quiet down. It sounds like you're attempting to destroy the castle." Percy's tone was commanding, and Harry couldn't help but think that Percy shouldn't have any power because it all seemed to go to his head. "By the looks of this place, I would assume my assumptions haven't been far off. Now clean it up." With that, he stormed out of the room, and the five first years just stared at each other and shrugged.

"How are we supposed to clean it up?" Harry asked as he thought about if he had even seen a broom that wasn't used for flying in this place. Ron just snorted.

"We don't have to; Percy is just being a git." He threw his flat pillow onto his bed and started pawing through his trunk for some clothes.

"He's kind of a drill sergeant, isn't he?" Dean commented as he started looking for clothes himself. Ron just snorted again.

"You've got no idea," he muttered as he pulled out a worn pair of trousers and an old T-shirt.

"Well, you don't have to deal with him much," Harry stated, trying to calm Ron down before anything had a chance to escalate.

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After the pillow fight that woke the whole dorm, Ron seemed to calm down. He was still excited, but he managed to tone it down to a level that matched Harry and Neville's excitement. Neither of them had been to Hogsmeade either, and Harry was having his first outing with friends along. Albus and Minerva had of course taken him out to explore town and everything during the summer, but he had never had friends that could come along. Now he had the bonus of having friends and going to a magical town.

By 10:00, all three boys were showered, dressed, and fed as they scrambled to Minerva's office, Harry with his pocket money in his robes. This was the designated meeting spot, and all three of them agreed that 10:00 was late enough and that they really _were_ starting to waste the day away.

Fortunately, Minerva and Albus had expected the boys to be ready to go early and were waiting for them. Upon hearing a knock on her door that sounded as if it would break it in, Minerva just shook her head. "Enter, Harry," she called sternly. The dark-haired boy had enough decency to recognize her stern tone and look, at least slightly, abashed for knocking so hard.

"Sorry, Minerva," Harry mumbled, slightly red in the face. He noticed his friends' awkward stances and realized that it was probably extremely strange to them to have him call their Deputy Head by her first name. This was going to be an awkward day.

"You just need to calm down, Harry," Minerva admonished lightly, although her tone had softened greatly.

"Yes ma'am," Harry stated as he nodded emphatically. He didn't ask if she had been told about the pillow fight this morning.

"Lighten up a bit, Minerva; he's just excited." Albus's cheerful voice made Harry relax a bit.

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It was chilly outside, seeing as they were in Scotland in October, but Minerva and Albus had made sure that all three boys were properly dressed for the weather. It really amazed Minerva how careless boys could be, though, when Neville was the only one wearing a jumper. "You do realize we will be spending quite a bit of time outside today, right?" she asked through pursed lips, making both Harry and Ron blush. Normally, Harry would have stated that he didn't have a fitting jumper, but Minerva and Albus had taken him shopping for proper attire during the school year while he was with them in the summer, and he now had a number of them in different colors that fit perfectly.

"Yes ma'am," Harry mumbled, before taking off for Gryffindor tower with Ron right behind him. He dug through his trunk and found a Gryffindor red jumper that he slid over his head.

Ron, on the other hand, was looking pink-faced as he pulled out a maroon jumper with a silver R stitched on the front. "Always maroon."

Harry looked his friend over a minute before digging into his trunk once more and tossing him a grey jumper. "It might be a bit snug, but you can wear it if you want," he said with a shy smile as Ron stared open-mouthed at him. Harry made a mental note to get him a jumper that wasn't maroon for Christmas.

"Thanks mate." Ron was still pink-faced, but he looked considerably happier as he wrestled the jumper over his head.

Just then, Neville walked in, and Harry and Ron both looked up at him. "Sent me back for a hat, scarf, and gloves," the round-faced boy mumbled, and the other two couldn't help but grin as they dug through their own trunks so they wouldn't get sent back again.

When they finally appeared in front of Minerva with all three wearing jumpers, robes, cloaks, hats, scarves, and gloves, the group was finally able to head out—not a moment too soon in the boys' eyes.

It was a chilly day, but there was still no snow and the autumn leaf colors made everything so beautiful. The air was crisp, but the boys couldn't help but run and chase each other as they crossed the Hogwarts grounds. They had to keep an eye on Neville since he was so accident-prone, but it didn't dampen their spirits any, and Albus and Minerva could only watch on, wondering if Harry might be better off with a younger couple.

Harry didn't seem to mind though. Albus and Minerva couldn't run around with him, but the Dursleys had never even tried. To top it all off, he actually had friends to run with instead of bullies to run from.

Their very first shop was a shop called the Three Broomsticks. It was a friendly shop that sold all kinds of drinks. They sold alcoholic drinks, but at the same time they were children-friendly and had bottles of pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and other non-alcoholic—but magical—drinks for children. It was also probably one of the best places to eat, but Albus might have been prejudiced, since an old friend owned the shop. Minerva and Albus bought each boy a butterbeer, and the five sat at a table, chattering away.

"This is so awesome, Harry," Ron stated happily as he gulped down his foamy drink. "I always love butterbeer. My mum makes homemade butterbeer for birthdays and holidays. It's the best!"

"Wish my gran made butterbeer," Neville mumbled as he sipped his drink more slowly than his red-headed friend.

"Aren't grandmas supposed to be the baking nuts of families to spoil their children?" Harry asked. He'd never even had so much as grandparents come visit him. Of course, he figured the only ones that would be nice to him would be his mum or dad's parents, since Uncle Vernon's parents would probably hate him as much as his sister Marge did.

The round-faced boy went pink as he took another drink of his butterbeer. "My gran isn't exactly like that," he mumbled, and Harry had enough sense not to push the matter.

When everyone had finished off their drinks, the boys talked Minerva and Albus into letting them explore a little.

"Alright, but meet back here in an hour for lunch," Minerva agreed. She wasn't completely sure she should let a Marauder's son—with a Weasley and Longbottom as sidekicks—out of her sight for long. Harry didn't seem to have the same tendencies James did, however, and not all of the Weasleys were as bad as the twins. Of course, Longbottom was proving to have trouble staying upright, but that wasn't a reason to deprive the children of a chance to explore.

"Awesome!" the boys stated together before running out the door.

"Where should we head first?" Harry asked as he looked all around him. The place wasn't nearly as busy as Diagon Alley had been, but that made Harry like it even more. It just seemed so cozy.

"Fred and George say that Hogsmeade has one of the best joke shops around," Ron stated excitedly. Honestly, they had to start somewhere.

"Aren't Hogsmeade trips limited to third years and older?" Neville asked curiously. "Aren't Fred and George in third year now? There hasn't been a Hogsmeade trip this year. How would they know about Hogsmeade?" Harry honestly had to give the boy credit; he was a mess in class, but when he didn't have the pressure of sneering professors, he could be pretty bright.

Ron could just shrug. "You think those two follow any rules? Hogsmeade is supposed to be amazing, and I wouldn't put it past those two to have made it to Hogsmeade somehow their first year. Don't ask me how, though." At this, Ron frowned in frustration, but he brightened a moment later. "Are we just going to waste our hour standing out here in the cold, or are we going to actually explore a bit?" At that, the other boys grinned and started walking down the street.

When you're sitting in class or doing homework, an hour seems like it might last forever. For three young boys exploring a magical town, however, it went quickly. The only magical town either of the three had seen was Diagon Alley, and neither had spent a whole lot of time there, let alone unsupervised. Even with a full hour, they only made it to Zonko's Joke Shop. The three boys may not have been hell-bent on pranks like Fred and George Weasley, but there were plenty of things there to fascinate them. Some local kids too young for Hogwarts were also there, and one of the employees was demonstrating some magical sparklers they could use inside without setting anything on fire.

Ron held his hands behind his back as he looked around, deciding it would be easier to "window shop" if he didn't touch anything. He couldn't help his jealous look, however, when Neville pulled out some sickles to buy a few tricks.

"Pick something out, mate," Harry whispered as he nodded towards the shelves of awesome items. Harry knew how Ron felt about his family's financial situation and didn't want to embarrass him further by speaking loudly; the whispered words had Ron's ears turning pink as it was.

"I don't need to," he mumbled, barely audible.

"It's cool, mate. Minerva is going to give me hell if I buy stuff and you turn up having nothing. You don't want me in trouble with her, do you?" Harry was trying hard to break through the redhead's pride, and this seemed to work because the freckle-faced boy smiled.

"I guess I could attempt to save your hide—this time," Ron stated with a smirk and started looking around the shop a little more excitedly.

By the time they got out, they had to run back to the Three Broomsticks. They arrived panting and stood before a highly amused Albus.

"Looks like you boys are enjoying yourselves," the silver-haired man commented with the normal twinkle in his light blue eyes.

"Definitely," they chorused together as they slid into a booth to order lunch.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

The boys didn't get much more time to explore. Albus and Minerva insisted that they wanted to spend time with all of them, but they did get to look around the whole town. Albus wanted desperately to stop at Honeydukes sweet shop, but Minerva insisted that that be saved for last so that their stomachs had a chance to settle with all of the food.

All three boys had a fantastic time looking around the Quidditch shop. Harry may be the only one on the team currently, but Ron hoped to play one day, and Neville was still a big fan of at least watching the game. Harry still hadn't decided on his favorite team, but watching Ron and Neville bicker over whether the Chudley Cannons or the Holyhead Harpies was best was actually pretty funny.

"We're going to the World Cup this year," Ron announced confidently. This actually made Neville snort with laughter.

"You haven't been even close to the Cup in more years than you've been alive."

"Yeah? Well, it can happen," Ron muttered, sounding kind of defeated as his ears turned pink.

"Well, I don't know who's going to win the World Cup," Harry announced suddenly, "but I know for a fact that Gryffindor is going to win the House Cup."

"Both the House and Quidditch," Neville and Ron stated together. Harry couldn't help but grin at the fact he'd gotten his friends to quit bickering for a minute.

"Definitely," he agreed with a nod.

"Well that would be something," Minerva stated with a smile.

"It would definitely be interesting," Albus stated in approval.

They spent some more time looking around, and Albus and Minerva told each boy they could pick out a magazine on their team. She then insisted that Harry be equipped with elbow and knee pads, along with a helmet and some riding gloves that would help his grip. Knowing the temperamental weather in Scotland, she also bought him a rain cloak to keep him dry in wet weather.

With their purchases paid for and shrunk to fit in their pockets, the group headed to see more of the town, and at 4, they finally stopped at Honeydukes. As soon as the three boys walked in, they felt as though their eyes would pop out of their sockets. The shop was completely filled with all kinds of amazing sweets. Ron and Neville may have been raised in the wizarding world, but Ron's family never had a lot of money to purchase a lot of sweets for their children, and Neville's grandmother didn't allow him to eat a whole lot of sugar.

"I need to restock my supply," Albus stated with a twinkle in his eye, before turning to the boys. He picked up three bags from the counter that were about the size of a muggle lunch bag and handed one to each of the boys. "You may each fill your bag with sweets, but I do urge you to ration them. Not only do you not come here often, but eating a lot of sweets all at once doesn't do a lot of favors for your stomach."

"This coming from the man that admits addiction," Minerva mumbled, making Harry look over at her with a smile.

The boys hurried to fill their bags with all kinds of treats. Harry wasn't disappointed that they didn't have any Muggle sweets; he honestly didn't need them with everything Honeydukes _did_ have to offer. Besides, the magical sweets were more entertaining, and they just kind of improved the Muggle items, since Chocolate Frogs were enchanted Muggle chocolate.

Harry asked permission to buy his friends one more butterbeer for the trip back, and Minerva said that she thought that it would be fine. The group therefore headed back to the Three Broomsticks before trekking back to the school. The trip back was quite different, however, since Albus and Minerva quizzed the boys on what they thought of Hogsmeade, and the three eleven-year-olds couldn't stop gushing about how amazing everything was.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Once back at Hogwarts, Harry was pulled aside by Minerva and Albus.

"Harry, can we talk to you a moment please?" The request was simple, and Harry couldn't think of anything he could have done wrong, so he nodded before turning to his friends.

"Hey, I'll meet you in the Great Hall for dinner. Will you take these up and put them in my trunk for me?" He handed out his bags of sweets and tricks, which Neville promptly took and just nodded.

"Sure, mate," Ron stated before hurrying off, anxious to get to dinner and tell anyone that would listen about his amazing adventure.

"We just wanted to tell you how proud we are of you," Minerva stated simply, making Harry blush. "You have done so well in your classes, and now you have even taken your friends on an outing and shared your allowance with them to buy some extra treats."

"That is definitely something very kind, Harry. You have your mother's heart of gold." Albus's comment confused Harry, but the older man pressed on. "You have taken in two friends that are both in need of a build in self-confidence and to be treated like they are the most important people in the world."

"They are," Harry stated firmly.

"Indeed they are," Dumbledore agreed with a smile. "Some just have a hard time understanding that everyone is irreplaceable in the world and that everyone needs a friend.

"We think you've earned 10 behavior points." Minerva's words brought a big grin to Harry's face. That brought his total to 40 points. It might not be a whole lot for a month and a half of work, but he had to take into account that he was in a boarding school constantly and didn't have a lot of opportunities to earn behavior points. "Now, why don't you head to dinner and eat some actual food instead of binging on sweets." Minerva was back to her stern tone, but Harry could only nod with a smile.

"Yes ma'am. Thanks," he stated before running down the corridor away from them, only stopping when Minerva shouted after him to not run in the corridors.

Harry didn't head right for the dinner, however. Instead, he headed quickly to the library. He needed to check out a book for his Herbology essay, and it was easier and quicker to do it without dragging Ron and Neville with him. Ron complained any time they went to the library, and Neville was probably already done with his Herbology essay, and that wasn't something Harry wanted to listen to.

Upon reaching the library, however, he couldn't help but stop and watch for a minute. It was a sight he had seen often, but this time it actually bothered him quite a bit. He couldn't say exactly why it was suddenly bothering him now when it hadn't before, but he was suddenly flooded with memories of life at the Dursleys and life at his muggle primary school. He had never had any friends before; he had been forced to play, study, and eat by himself.

Now he had several friends that cared about him, but right now he was looking in to find Hermione Granger sitting by herself. He racked his brain as he tried to think of a time she had ever been with other students. There were several first year Gryffindors, but as far as Harry knew, Hermione was constantly by herself. He, Ron, and Neville had certainly never invited her to join them. Dean was a muggleborn like Hermione, but he had made fast friends with Seamus, and the two boys had never included the bushy-haired girl either. Even Hermione's dormmates seemed to exclude her. Parvati and Lavender were practically glued together, but Hermione was never with them. Harry couldn't help but think that that must be a very lonely life for Hermione. Now the question was, did she choose to be alone all of the time, or was she just excluded? Was this why Albus and Minerva had talked to him about everyone being of worth? Hermione certainly didn't need a boost in self-confidence, but everyone could use a friend.

Harry's mind was numb as all of this ran rampant through his thoughts. He quickly found the book he needed, and headed to check it out so that he could go to the feast without Ron and Neville forming a search party. One thing was for sure though: Harry was going to have to keep an eye on Hermione, and, at the very least, make an effort to be nicer towards her. No matter how annoying everyone thought she was.


	13. Thursdays with Trolls

Chapter 13: Thursdays with Trolls

In the weeks following the Hogsmeade trip with Minerva and Albus, Harry kept his vow to watch Hermione's friend interaction. As time wore on, he got more and more uncomfortable because the only time she was with her classmates was in class. She had to sit near classmates to eat, but nobody bothered to include her in their conversations, so she wound up eating quickly, then disappearing. He couldn't prove that she was alone all of the time since he wasn't about to stalk her or anything, but he had a sinking feeling that behind her know-it-all bossiness, she was very lonely.

On the Monday before Halloween, Harry's suspicions about Hermione proved true. He was headed for their family night like normal, but when he reached the office, he found that the door was open just a crack. This was very strange since Minerva usually had her door open all the way to welcome visitors, or shut all the way to tell people she either wasn't there or didn't want to be interrupted. Now, however, the door was open about an inch wide, and the light coming from inside the room made it obvious that someone was in there. Getting closer, Harry learned Minerva was indeed in there, but she wasn't alone.

"I just wish I could see them for a little while." Harry would know that voice anywhere. It was the voice he heard almost as often as the teacher's in every class. Right now, though, it wasn't full of confident knowledge like usual. Instead, it was tear-filled and lonely.

"Miss Granger, I know that this is a big adjustment." Harry couldn't see her, but Minerva sounded so calm and comforting. It was strange to think of her like that towards anyone but him. He guessed it didn't help any that she had referred to the student by her last name, which meant that she was in teacher mode, at least slightly.

"I was so excited when you told me. I've never left my parents before, but I wanted to learn so badly that I didn't give it much thought. It's not just that, though." Hermione's voice seemed even more hopeless than before. "Nothing has changed here. Not really."

"What do you mean, Miss Granger?"

"I still don't have any friends. They all just ignore me or even make fun of me."

"Who's been making fun of you, Miss Granger?" Minerva's voice now sounded like the stern professor Harry was used to.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does. This transition is hard enough without the other kids being mean to you. This is new to them as well. Most of them have never left home either."

"I know."

Harry decided he didn't want to hear anymore, and he didn't want to interrupt. It was obvious that Hermione needed to talk right now, and he could understand that. He would need to talk as well if he were in her position. Did she really not have any friends in the muggle world either?

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

As the week wore on, Harry continued to watch Hermione. As often as he could, he would offer her a silent smile. He couldn't figure out how to do anything else, though, since he was very busy. One of his best friends acted like being near Hermione was the worst thing in the world, so Harry would have to find some time alone where he could somehow talk to the girl—after he got up the courage to go up to her, of course. How on earth was he supposed to approach her? What would he say? He couldn't tell her he'd overheard her crying to McGonagall. That would make him sound like a snoop, and she would probably refuse to talk to him.

Another hindrance Harry had to factor in was that he barely had time to breathe. All of his classes seemed to pile on the homework, and it was enough of a battle to get Ron to actually study. Neville spent quite a bit working on homework with Harry, but that was because Neville was just trying to stay afloat in school. He was a really bright boy, but he had to work at it and actually put time and effort into his work to make it of a passable quality.

Harry was lucky he was naturally pretty smart because he didn't have the time Neville did. Oliver Wood was a nice enough guy, but it turned out that he was completely nuts when it came to Quidditch. Harry couldn't help but think that he had his own personal drill instructor. Wood would schedule practice for the early morning on Saturdays and Sundays and would schedule practice practically until curfew during the week. Harry loved flying and loved being on the team, but he couldn't help but think he was glad Wood was only allowed to schedule a few practices a week or he'd never get done with the rest of his work.

Granted he could probably do his homework in the library, and it would be a fantastic opportunity to talk to Hermione. On the other hand, though, Harry usually had Ron and Neville working right alongside him, wondering what all he had written for his essay on the separation between the magic and muggle worlds to make it the required three feet.

Harry didn't even bother pointing out that he didn't know how Binns would read the essays, since ghosts couldn't really pick up anything. For all he knew, he was very skilled in wandless magic and had the essays read themselves to him. Then again, this was Binns he was thinking about. He got the feeling that Binns didn't even realize he was teaching a class half the time but was rather content to just drone on endlessly. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Binns was a magical form of a video or tape recorder just set on repeat from year to year. It would definitely be interesting to see how much his current first year lectures varied from next year's first year lectures. Even Hermione didn't attempt to raise her hand in that class. There was no point.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Halloween Day proved just as busy, although a bit more eventful. The day was a mixture of emotions for Harry. Now that he actually knew about his past, Harry had to realize that this was a day that had changed history. Ten years ago on this date, his parents had stood up against Voldemort and died protecting him. He had then destroyed Voldemort—even though he was little over a year old—and as a result had become the savior of the wizarding world. Knowing that all of this had happened on a specific day put it into a little bit more perspective for Harry, and he couldn't help but feel slightly depressed.

At the same time, however, he had only known all of this for three months to the date. He therefore didn't have much to dwell on, but the depression was more of a passing thought, as well as wondering whether he should feel guilty that he didn't feel really bad on the day his parents had died. Instead, he was actually kind of excited. Not that his parents were dead, mind you, but that this was his first holiday without the Dursleys. That by itself was enough for Harry to want to celebrate.

On top of the excitement of the promised feast, Charms was also proving exciting. Professor Flitwick had promised them that they were going to set theory and movement practice aside and actually learn a spell today. They had been practicing a wrist movement and incantation for the levitation charm, and today they were going to put it all into practice and make feathers levitate.

Harry couldn't help but groan internally when Professor Flitwick split them into partners. He honestly didn't mind working with Seamus, but Neville was with Lavender, and that left Ron with Hermione. Neville wouldn't have a problem with Lavender, but Harry didn't need to be a psychic to know that Ron and Hermione were not going to work well together.

He didn't have much time to dwell on his friend, though, because actually making the feather levitate proved extremely tricky. All week they had been reading about levitation charms and practicing the wand movement and incantation, so Harry had figured it would be easy work. However, once he actually had to try the spell, he found that all the theory in the world didn't really prepare you for actually performing the spells. No matter how hard he and Seamus tried, the feather wouldn't even twitch. Seamus finally poked it with the tip of his wand to see if they had glued it to the desk or something, and both boys jumped when it caught fire.

Neville and Lavender weren't having any more luck. Neville had held his breath until he was purple and Lavender had been afraid he'd pass out, but the feather didn't do anything. While Neville caught his breath, he and Lavender looked at the other pairs around the room to see if they could get any tips. Parvati had just put down her wand because her frustration level was growing considerably, since all she and Dean had managed to do was turn their feather green. Harry had to give them credit, though, since it was better than setting it on fire.

By the end of the period, both Harry and Lavender had managed to make their feathers float. Ron didn't seem to care that he wasn't the only one incapable of performing the spell; but rather, he seemed to take it as a personal offense that his partner had to be practically perfect at it. He didn't seem to mind that Harry had managed the spell, though, so Harry found that as a positive.

"Honestly, I can see why nobody can stand her," Ron grumbled as they walked away from the Charms classroom. "She's worse than Percy, and that's saying something."

"Come on, Ron, she has some good traits, too," Neville spoke up. He was covered in bright yellow ink because he had managed to make his feather explode ink at him and Lavender. Lavender had been furious, but Professor Flitwick had assured both of them that the laundry would get the ink out and their clothes would be as good as new.

"Like what?" Ron snapped, not even looking at Neville.

"She gets loads of points for Gryffindor," Harry pointed out.

Ron could only scoff. "Yeah I guess. If only she could do it in Snape's class. Everyone else hands out points like they're candy."

"Professor Snape believes you have to go above and beyond to get points," Harry stated simply. This actually caused Ron to look at him, and Neville raised an eyebrow in shock.

"Don't go defending the evil bat of the dungeons, Harry." Seamus and Dean had caught up, and Dean was the one to speak.

"Yeah, we might have to disown you as a Gryffindor," Seamus teased.

"Well, I'm not," Harry shrugged as he spoke. "I'm just repeating what he told me." This caused Neville to stop dead in his tracks and Seamus to drop the bag he had been fiddling with.

"What were you talking to him for?" Ron demanded.

"Yeah, mate, were you asking for detention or something? That's suicide that is," Dean piped in with his own two pence.

Harry could just sigh. "I didn't go looking for him. I was doing family night with Minerva and Albus when he showed up."

"What's he showing up at family night for?" Seamus had picked up his bag and flung it over his shoulder.

"He had Fred and George Weasley. They'd been caught trying to play a prank on him." Harry was getting kind of irritated at the interruptions and accusations of his dormmates. Well, besides Neville. He was still too dumbstruck to really join the conversation. "After Fred and George left, he stayed a moment to talk to Albus and Minerva, and I kinda interrogated him."

"Alright, you've got Gryffindor points back," spoke up Dean. The other three just nodded. "Interrogating Snape; that definitely takes some Gryffindor-sized courage."

"If you'll notice, none of the teachers award the Slytherins tons of points."

"That's because they don't deserve it," Ron all but spat.

"Even though they manage a lot of the same work we do?" Harry probed. The other three boys stayed firm in their disbelief, so Harry decided to move on. "I asked why he never gives even Hermione any points and he said that she doesn't do anything spectacular."

"She knows absolutely everything and brews a perfect potion." Neville had finally found his voice, and Harry was glad he wanted to defend the girl.

"I know that, and Professor Snape knows that. At the same time, however, she knows all of the answers because she's done the reading. We are all supposed to know the answers since we are all supposed to do the reading. We are also in Potions brewing, and are supposed to make good ones." Harry was met with stunned stares and held up his hands. "I'm just repeating what he told me. He said that he doesn't give points to people for doing things they are supposed to do."

"Either way, that's twisted," Seamus put in. Dean and Neville could just nod.

"Well it serves her right." Ron could just shake his head as he started his grumbling again. "She's such a know-it-all that it's really annoying."

"Really, Ron?" Harry stated in disgust.

"She knows it, too." Ron didn't pay any attention to the interruption. "She has to notice she hasn't got any friends. Nobody can stand her. She's such a freak."

At those words, Harry felt a shove and just caught himself in time to see a girl with bushy brown hair squeeze between him and Ron before taking off running while clutching her book bag to her chest. As he watched her go, he couldn't help but wonder how much of that conversation she had heard. Then, when he thought of the conversation he had overheard between Hermione and Minerva, he couldn't help but realize that Ron must have hit a nerve.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Hermione had been in the bathroom since Charms had ended. She'd been walking behind Ron and Harry since they had left Charms and had heard the entire conversation. Ron's early words had stung, but she had been interested to know why Professor Snape never seemed impressed with her. She had been trying to think of a way to go above and beyond when Ron had started in again. He flat out said she didn't have any friends and then continued on to call her a freak. That was exactly how it had been at her primary school back home in England. On top of knowing everything, she had random spurts of magic that she couldn't control. Everyone had thought of her as a freak and had therefore avoided her.

Now she was at school with children just like her, and nothing had changed. It's exactly what she had told Professor McGonagall; she might be with students like her, but she still didn't fit in, and she didn't think she ever would. Professor McGonagall had listened to Hermione's tears Monday night, but there really wasn't anything she could do to help. Hermione really was just a freak.

Hermione stayed in the bathroom all day and didn't even bother to show up for Transfiguration or Flying. Usually she would have been distraught over the possibility of missing a class, but today, she didn't care. Let everyone think what they wanted. She was already so far ahead that it wouldn't be like she would miss much. She didn't even worry about detention, for once, but couldn't help but wonder if it would keep her busy enough to just forget about everything.

Parvati Patil had come in around lunchtime and tried to talk to her, but Hermione had just told her to leave her alone. Parvati hadn't exactly been nice to her either, and right now she really needed to just cry. She wished desperately for a cup of her mum's calming tea; it had always helped soothe her after a public display of magic that made the kids disown her even more.

It was around dinnertime when Hermione started pulling herself together. She'd had her pity party, and now it was time to jump back into life. She had lived with being a freak for eleven years, so she could handle seven more. Then she would really show them because she could become anything she wanted to be, and she would be absolutely amazing. She would outshine any of them, and they would be sorry. One thing was for sure, though: she couldn't do it if she starved herself to death.

As Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, she could only sigh. Her bushy hair had always been awful, but now she had a tear-stained face with red, puffy, bloodshot eyes. Her hair was also stringy, and snot was running heavily out of her nose. Because of all the crying, her nose was clogged, and she could barely breathe, let alone smell. As a result, her first clue that something was off was the sound of heavy footsteps and some deep grunts.

Hermione looked up in the mirror again, and her eyes went wide. Walking towards her carrying a club was a ten-foot tall mountain troll. She quickly spun around but found that she couldn't do anything but stare. She then saw the door shut quickly, heard the click of a lock, and realized that somehow she had just been locked in the bathroom alone with this giant beast. It took her a few seconds to find her voice, and then she could only let out a high-pitched scream of terror as she ducked beneath the sinks to give herself some protection.

The troll kept advancing toward her, however, and she was realizing that she was probably not going to live long enough to make everyone regret calling her a freak. The bathroom door flung open once more and Hermione immediately glanced up. Upon seeing who it was, she groaned but reminded herself that at least it was help. Her three rescuers seemed just as scared as her though, but at least they had come back for her. She wasn't entirely sure she would have been that brave, and that was with knowing more about magic than the three combined.

On the other hand, she had completely forgotten about magic. Hermione was a bright girl, but she had yet to learn to think properly under pressure, and her life being on the line was a big reason to feel pressure. Especially when the troll had already started swinging his club and knocking some of the porcelain sinks off the wall.

Thankfully, Harry, Ron, and Neville didn't freeze up as bad as she did. From the look on his face, Neville was ready to pass out at the sight of the troll, but the presence of his friends seemed to keep him halfway focused. Hermione could just stare in shocked terror. She was vaguely aware of Neville rushing to her side while Harry and Ron started throwing sink taps at the monster's head to try and distract him. Hermione couldn't help but wonder what on earth the boys planned to do if they succeeded since then they would be unarmed while the ten-foot troll advanced towards them.

Hermione's thoughts proved corrected when the troll actually turned around, and Harry and Ron looked at each other as they realized that now they didn't know what they were going to do. Hermione had to give them credit, though, because they seemed to think a little quicker than she had since the troll swung at Harry and he quickly ducked out of the way. When another swing came, Hermione let out a small gasp, and Neville flung his hands over his eyes as Harry grasped hold of the troll's club and was flung up onto the creature's shoulders. Hermione didn't know if it would have truly mattered if Harry hadn't had his wand in his mouth when he jumped, but the thin stick was now shoved deep into the troll's nose.

The troll thrashed about violently as it tried to figure out what had just been shoved up its nose, and Hermione and Neville clung together as they ducked to avoid the wildly swinging club. Harry, on the giant shoulders, was having an even rougher time since he had to figure out how to not get thrown off as the troll threw his large body all over.

It didn't take long for the troll to grab ahold of Harry and dangle him in the air. Ron still had his wand, and Hermione and Neville watched both boys with bated breath as he raised it. Hermione couldn't help but groan internally when she heard him shout, "Wingardrium Leviosa!" Ron hadn't managed the spell that morning, and now Harry's life—and probably all four of theirs—depended on it. Of course, just how that spell would help them was beyond Hermione.

Ron's panic seemed to pay off because suddenly the heavy club the troll had been trying to hit Harry with was now floating in the air ten feet above the troll's head. The troll was even more confused that its weapon was no longer in his hand, and Ron looked just as shocked as Hermione at being able to perform the spell. He lost focus as he took in the fact he had managed the spell, and the heavy club dropped square onto the troll's head. The beast dropped Harry, and the boy had a few seconds to get away while the troll swayed before falling heavily to the floor.

The four kids hadn't even had time to catch their breath before Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrel came running in. McGonagall had a hand clutched to her heart and looked as if she was ready to pass out. That's when Hermione remembered that Harry was practically her son now, and he could have easily been killed.

Snape was looking, if possible, even more angry than normal, and Hermione was extremely glad neither of them was in Slytherin right now. She could just imagine all sorts of horrific things he would put them through. Of course, he could still torture them pretty badly since they had to endure Potions with him every week.

It was Quirrel Hermione didn't know what to make of. She had gone to his class for two months now and was used to him being terrified of everything. Why on Earth he was the Defense Professor Hermione was sure she would never know. Now, however, he looked as angry as Snape. The difference was that behind his anger, Quirrel was chalk white and looked as if he was about to pass out at any moment. McGonagall ignored both of her colleagues and rounded on Harry and Ron.

"Would you care to explain yourselves?" McGonagall's lips were so thin Hermione couldn't see them anymore. It seemed that once she had recovered from the shock of finding four first year students with the unconscious troll, her own anger set in.

"Well..." Harry was now staring just past the professors as if talking to the wall, and Ron still had his wand in the air and looked as if he was a statue. Neville was still beside Hermione with wide eyes and incapable of speech. Hermione guessed that that was because of Snape's presence. With the three boys clearly at a loss as to how to explain this, Hermione took a deep breath, got to her feet, and stepped forward.

"It was my fault, Professor McGonagall." This stunned everyone in the room, and now it was Hermione's turn to keep from shrinking back in fear, especially since she was inventing this on the fly.

"Miss Granger?" McGonagall's voice was completely shocked, and Hermione couldn't blame her. However, when the boys turned to stare at her, she groaned inwardly and silently pleaded that they caught on. They had saved her, after all, so she might as well try to get them out of trouble. Of course, there was no guarantee since 1) they had just faced a mountain troll, and 2) they were in the girls' lavatory.

"I know it's stupid, but I came looking for the troll. I've read so much about them, and I thought I could handle it. I just wanted to help." Hermione saw the shock on McGonagall and Snape's faces and prayed silently that the story was believable. It was half true, after all. She _had_ in fact read about trolls, and that wouldn't be hard to believe. She was also top of her class, so she hoped it wouldn't take too much of a stretch for people to think she would believe she could handle it on her own.

"Harry, Neville, and Ron noticed I was missing and came after me. They got here just in time, and Harry and Ron knocked him out with the troll's club while Neville tried to calm me down and see if I was okay." That part Hermione didn't have a problem with since it was completely true. She heard the scoff from Snape at hearing Neville's part, but it wasn't terribly off base with what had happened. Besides, Neville had shown a lot of bravery just by coming, and he really had come right to her.

McGonagall seemed to consider this and finally nodded her acceptance. "Very well, Miss Granger." Her lips were invisibly thin again, and Hermione had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. "You know that this was very foolish of you correct?" Hermione could only nod because her voice seemed to have failed her. "You could have been seriously hurt, and you directly disobeyed the headmaster's orders to head to your common rooms." Hermione couldn't help but wince at this part since she hadn't known going to her tower was a direct order. Still, she nodded. "As such, 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor for such poor judgment. You will also serve a night of detention with me." It looked physically painful for Minerva to take points from her, and Hermione had to look down at the floor to keep from tearing up and spilling the whole story.

"As for the three of you," Minerva now rounded on the boys, and Hermione bit her lip. Hopefully it had been enough to keep them out of trouble. "This was also extremely foolish, and you should have gone for a teacher the instant you noticed Miss Granger was missing. However, there aren't very many first year students that could take on a fully grown mountain troll and make it out alive. As such, 5 points will be awarded to each of you." At this comment Hermione managed to look up and give a soft smile. It had worked! She had kept the boys out of trouble, and they had even gotten house points for saving her. More house points than she had lost actually. Things couldn't have worked out much better, besides not having to face the troll at all, of course.

**Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I was really busy trying to hold on to my student teaching position, and then they finally just pulled me. Now I'm home all day long with my baby but haven't felt like writing, so I've just been lazy. I'll get better though so hopefully you all hold in there. I want to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews you left me. I was so surprised to see so many people review last chapter! It was extremely encouraging.**

**You're all ready for some action, and I hope that this chapter helped satisfy that craving. Next chapter brings a bit more action but it also deviates from the original book quite a bit. I haven't gotten chapters written out way far in advance like I used to with my stories in High school when I when I wrote in class, but I do have a plan in my mind, and I just have to make my writing catch up so you guys don't start crying for my blood.**

**~Lily~**


	14. Bonding and Reactions

**Author's Note: I know I promised action in this chapter, but I misjudged the pacing just a little bit. This chapter may seem like it's just a filler chapter, but I felt it important. It shows the reactions to the troll incident, and it shows the beginnings of the friendship between Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Ron. I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but as I said, I have an idea of what's to happen throughout the story, but I'm don't have it all written out piece by piece. It isn't until I start writing that I figure out what goes where. I also got this chapter up a lot quicker than I have the last two, so hopefully that helps. Of course I also have to thank my friend that edits this all before you guys even see it because she corrects my mistakes, offers advice for improvement, and even helps it flow just a tiny bit smoother. Thanks for all of your reviews, and let me know what you think here.**

**~Lily~**

Chapter 14: Bonding and Reactions

Harry had been completely shocked when Hermione had lied to get them out of trouble. Not only was it completely out of character for her, but it was just after she had gotten hurt by Ron's cruel words. They had also scored ten points for Gryffindor even after Hermione lost five. He did feel terrible about her getting detention, though, and hoped that Minerva wouldn't be too hard on her. However, he couldn't exactly say anything without giving them all away, so he kept quiet. As it turned out, it wasn't Hermione he needed to be concerned for.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom, and Mr. Weasley, I will advise you to head up to Gryffindor tower now. Students will be finishing the feast in their common rooms." Minerva's tone was still firm, and Harry didn't miss that his name had not been cleared to go with the rest.

"What about Harry, Professor?" Ron asked stepping forward to place a hand on Harry's back. "He needs to eat as well."

Harry heard Snape snarl, and even Minerva's lips went thin at Ron's stupidity to press his luck like this. Hermione and Neville got the point, however, and each grabbed hold of one of Ron's arms. "Come on, Ron; Harry will join us later," Hermione stated, and Harry couldn't help thinking that the adrenaline must still be rushing through Ron to let Hermione lead him away like that.

"Mr. Potter will be staying with me for a moment more, Mr. Weasley, but I can assure you that he will be fed." Harry watched Ron's ears go pink and just nod at Minerva's stern look. Honestly, if looks could kill, Harry had no doubt Ron wouldn't have made it through the first day at Hogwarts. Then again, Harry wouldn't have made it _to_ Hogwarts in the first place.

"Later guys," Harry mumbled as he gave a sullen wave to the departing trio. He really wanted to figure out what this meant for Hermione, but he figured the less he fought with Minerva, the sooner he'd be released and able to figure it out.

"I trust that the two of you are capable of disposing of the troll," Minerva stated firmly to her colleagues. Before Harry was whisked away though, he saw Snape's smirk and Quirrell's terrified look. He then looked down, however, and between Snape's robes, he saw that the dark-haired man had torn the leg of his trousers and was bleeding quite liberally. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Minerva placed a firm hand on his shoulder and steered him out of the bathroom. At that point, all of Snape's problems were forgotten as Harry refocused on his own.

In no time at all, Harry found himself in Minerva's personal quarters. She motioned for Harry to sit on the couch before pulling out her wand. Harry watched with wide eyes as a silver cat appeared, and she spoke to it as if it were a real person. Or as if it were Albus, more like. "Albus, the troll has been taken care of, but I need to see you in my quarters for a moment please." With that, she flicked her wand once more, and the cat seemed to vanish.

"What was that, Minerva?" Harry asked in astonishment as he just stared at where the silver cat been.

"It's called a Patronus." Minerva's voice definitely had a crispness to it, and Harry decided that it would be in his best interest to keep his mouth shut. Even without any more questions however, Minerva continued to explain. "Each witch and wizard has what is called a Patronus. It's a type of silver mist that takes the shape of an animal if the magic behind it is strong enough. However, it is not a simple spell and isn't taught here until seventh year. Even then it's only taught if the instructor feels the students are ready for something so advanced." Here Minerva sighed as she sat down in a chair. "Of course, we haven't had many of our students learn it upon graduating the past several years because it's so rare we actually get a qualified defense instructor, and even then we only manage to hold on to them for a year."

"But what does it do?" Once again, Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"Well, it has two purposes, but most of the time it's a form of communication." Minerva hesitated at this. "Well, for everyday witches and wizards, anyway."

"What do you mean everyday witches and wizards?"

"Well, a Patronus's main use is a form of protection." Harry couldn't help but jump as Albus's voice spoke. "The protection is rarely needed outside of Azkaban prison, though, so we use it as a form of communication." As Albus finished the explanation, he turned to Minerva. "I'm glad you managed to control the troll, but why have you asked me here, my dear?"

"I didn't control the troll, Albus." Minerva's lips were once more extremely tight. "In fact, none of the professors did."

"But your message said it had been contained, and..." With that, Albus looked closer at Harry. "Am I to assume that you are the one that got rid of the troll, Harry?"

Now Harry couldn't help but squirm as Albus fixed him with a look that Harry felt could reach right through his very soul. "Well... Technically it was Ron that knocked it out." He could barely whisper and he suddenly found his feet very interesting. He had a feeling that if he looked at Albus's eyes right now, they would not be twinkling.

"Harry, what in the name of Merlin were you doing?" Harry winced at Albus's tone. Just the back of his chocolate frog card told how dangerous the man was. At sixty-four years of age, he had participated in the most legendary duel ever fought between wizards and defeated the great Grindelwald. On top of that, he was the Supreme Mugwump in the International Confederation of Wizards as well as the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot. Those were accomplishments that the entire wizarding world recognized him by, but there was also the fact that he was the only wizard that Lord Voldemort had ever feared. You didn't accomplish all of that without being very nearly lethal.

"Well, um..." Great, now he had to remember exactly what Hermione had told Minerva. "Ron, Neville, and I noticed that Hermione wasn't with the rest of the Gryffindors heading to the tower and decided to go get her." There, that was the truth, and it didn't deviate from what Hermione had said. "Before we could get her to the safety of the common room, though, she found the troll. It was advancing toward her when Ron, Neville, and I got there, so we had to help her fight it off."

"And why, may I ask, did you not alert a prefect or a teacher as soon as soon as you noticed Miss Granger's absence?"

_Because the teachers noticed it the same time we did,_ Harry thought to himself before taking a deep breath. "We didn't think about it, sir." It was stated simply, and Harry just sighed. "We were told the troll was in the dungeons, and we thought that we would be able to get to Hermione and get her to Gryffindor Tower without even seeing the troll."

"I must commend you for your desire to assist your classmate, Harry, but you have got to realize that your actions were extremely foolish." Albus sounded tired, but Harry could sense the agitation behind the exhaustion.

"You about gave me a heart attack, young man." Minerva was back in the lecture, and Harry wished he could just sink into his chair. "That troll could have easily killed all four of you. Instead of leaving the threat to one student, you deliberately put yourself and two other students in the same danger."

Harry couldn't even look at them. Why did he always have to mess everything up? Hadn't the Dursleys always told him what a freak he was? What a burden he was because he could never stay out of trouble for longer than five minutes? Well he had just proven them right. Not only had he put himself in danger, but he had dragged his two friends with him. The first time in his life that he had had friends, and he had risked their lives. Why hadn't he just flagged down Percy? Even if he hadn't wanted to go to Percy, there had been plenty of others he could have alerted and gotten assistance from. Now that he thought about it, he had even seen Professor Snape on their way to get Hermione. Of course, Snape wouldn't have been exactly ideal either, but he would have been helpful. For one, he probably wouldn't have forgotten the original mission and wound up locking the stupid thing in with the girl he was trying to rescue.

"I won't have you putting your life in peril, Harry." Albus cupped Harry's chin in his wrinkled hand and forced the boy to look up at him.

"Harry, I went easy on you as a professor because I truly was impressed with your desire to help Miss Granger." Minerva's voice had softened a bit, but Harry got the feeling he wasn't out of the hot water quite yet. "She needs friends as much as you do, and I'm glad you were willing to help her. This is exactly what we said when you defended Mr. Longbottom the second week of school. At the same time, we are once again discussing you assisting your friends in a safe manner."

Harry could have kicked himself. This _was_ very similar to what had happened with Neville. "I'm sorry."

"I do believe that the last time we had a discussion like this, you were asked to write a one foot essay. Am I correct?" Harry could only nod at Albus's words, and then stare at his own hands which were folded in his lap. "This is a repeated offense, Harry, so this time I would like you to write a three foot essay on following instructions, acting in an emergency, and what you could have done differently."

"Yes sir," Harry spoke glumly. "Are you going to take away privilege points?" Harry had been thinking of asking for a broom servicing kit for his prize, but he figured that it would most likely cost quite a few privilege points.

Minerva gave a tiny, tight-lipped, smile at this. She had a hard time remembering the privilege points, since she mostly dealt with house points here at Hogwarts. Therefore, she figured she had best set the record straight. "For the most part, privilege points will be used when we are at home, or if Albus and I feel you are doing exceptionally well in your schoolwork overall and would like to reward you as guardians. Of course, if you were to get into enough mischief to warrant a letter home under normal circumstances, then it would be a plausible reason to deduct privilege points from you. Since I have no intention of writing to the, or Mrs. Longbottom, however, I would say you are in the clear. This time, anyway." She added this last part with a very stern look, and Harry could just nod silently.

"I am placing you on restriction until that essay is finished and handed into me, Harry." Albus's voice was still stern, and Harry didn't even think about complaining. "That means I don't want to see you outside of your common room or the library except for meals and classes. I only say the library because I understand that sometimes the Gryffindor common room can be a hard place to focus your thoughts."

"Yes sir." Harry had to agree with this last statement. He absolutely loved the Gryffindor common room, but sometimes it was just a bit too crowded and noisy to accommodate studying. Maybe that was why Hermione preferred the library.

"Harry, you understand that restriction means no Quidditch game on Saturday, unless you get me the essay before curfew tomorrow, correct?" At this, Harry and Minerva's mouths dropped. Harry was even more shocked when Minerva managed to shut her mouth again and didn't comment on how she needed Harry to play. This just showed him how serious this had all been.

"Y-yes sir." Harry couldn't help but stutter at this point. How was he supposed to do a three foot essay in twenty-four hours with class tomorrow? He sighed. It looked like he really was headed for the library for some quiet time, and he was extremely lucky that they had their afternoon free. That would seriously help.

"I do believe it is time to revise our rules, since obviously putting your life in danger is not one of them." Albus's voice was cheery again, and Harry just had to give a smile; Albus could bounce back from his strict, disappointed guardian mood so quickly that Harry wondered how the man managed to avoid whiplash.

With a wave of his wand, the parchment containing their family rules appeared on the desk in front of them. Dumbledore took out a long purple quill and wrote in his beautiful slender writing at the bottom of the page. When he had finished, he flipped the parchment around so that Harry and Minerva could view it.

The Dumbledore House Rules

Eat meals together

Prepare and clean up meals together

Come to meals washed and presentable

Respect each other

No cursing

No yelling

No throwing things

Pick up after yourself

Talk things out

No lying

Knock before entering other bedrooms

No stealing

Do not put yourself in life-threatening situations

Follow instructions

Harry could just grin at the two added rules. "Now that they are made official, hopefully I'll remember them easier." He knew he was being cheeky, but seeing Albus's twinkle in his eye again told Harry that things were right in the universe once more. So long as he got that essay to Albus before curfew tomorrow, of course.

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When Harry got to the common room just barely before curfew that evening, it was still in chaos. The remains of the feast had long since been cleared, but it seemed that every Gryffindor in the school was still in the common room. Harry guessed this wasn't exactly an uncommon experience since curfew didn't mean you had to go to bed, but it definitely wasn't usually this crazy. The troll had caused a lot of excitement, and several people were still circled around Ron, Hermione, and Neville asking for details of what had happened. Others were chatting animatedly about a troll actually getting into the castle and what could have happened. There was even a seventh year group who was lounged in a corner of the room discussing how Quirrell was the defense teacher and supposed to be good with things like vampires, werewolves, and trolls, and yet he had barely been able to alert the rest of the staff before fainting dead away.

Harry's appearance didn't attract too much attention, since everyone had already heard the story, but Hermione, Ron, and Neville were quick to escape their captivated audience when the portrait door swung open and Harry climbed through.

"You ok, mate?" Ron was the one to speak. "McGonagall looked furious. I mean, I can't blame her, of course; my mum would go completely mental if she found out I'd been up against a mountain troll."

"Yeah my parents would pull me from school if they found out I'd gone looking for a troll that could have easily killed me." Hermione gently patted Harry's shoulder. "What about your gran, Neville?"

"Well, if she was told I just cowered under the sink, she'd be pretty angry and yell at me to live up to my potential. If I had actually been of use, she would probably be proud." This made Ron, Harry, and Hermione just stare at him in shock. "Of course, she would probably just scoff if she found out the stupid beast was taken out by a simple charm."

"But why?" Hermione asked genuinely perplexed. "Charms is a fantastic subject and comes in handy."

"Gran thinks it's a soft subject," Neville said, red in the face. It was one of the classes he managed to do halfway decent in.

"Probably because she didn't do well herself," Ron mumbled, only to get smacked in the arm by Hermione. "Ouch! Definitely uncalled for." He rubbed his arm as he glared at Hermione for a minute, but then turned back to Harry. "So what'd McGonagall say anyway? She can't have been too hard on you. I mean, you did help save Hermione and you weren't hurt. It's not like it was all that big of a deal."

"Let him breathe, Ronald," Hermione scolded gently, leading the group to a part of the common room big enough to fit the four of them. There were no free seats, so they all just slid down to the cool flagstone floor and sat cross-legged in a circle.

"Minerva was pretty upset, but it was Albus I worried about," Harry stated truthfully as he leaned against the stone wall behind him.

"Professor Dumbledore isn't scary, though," Neville pointed out confused.

"Oh he can be when he's angry. This is the second time I've done something that could have easily ended with me killed or seriously hurt." Harry could only laugh at the stunned looks on his friends when he stated that Albus could be scary. "Oh come on you guys. Hermione, you would probably be able to spout off all of his accomplishments without so much as looking it up again."

"Well I know that in 1945 he defeated the great wizard Gellert Grindelwald." As predicted, Hermione started spewing facts as if she had swallowed a textbook and was regurgitating it like a parrot. "That would have put him even older than Professor McGonagall is now, and any muggle would have been considered too old to fight. Then again, the muggles live a much harder life and few make it to one hundred years of age. If they do, most are unable to provide for themselves and—"

"Hermione, what on earth does this have to do with Dumbledore?" Ron snapped, and instantly the young witch went crimson.

"I was just pointing out that simply being alive and capable of running a school is a major success at his age."

"Yes, Albus has a lot of successful things about him," Harry agreed deciding to finish his argument that the Headmaster is scary. "How do you think he managed to do all of that? I can assure you that it wasn't by handing out lemon drops to everyone he meets." At this, all three of his friends looked extremely confused, and Harry could only laugh.

"What's a lemon drop?" Ron and Neville spoke together, and Hermione recovered from her shock enough to shake her head.

"It's a hard muggle sweet coated in sugar that tastes kind of like lemon," she prattled off distractedly before waving her hand as if to wave the question away. "How do lemon drops and Professor Dumbledore go together?"

"Trust me, Hermione; you can't set foot in Albus's office without the risk of being offered a lemon drop." Harry watched Hermione shake her head and just grinned. "I'm pretty sure even if he expelled you, he would say 'I'm sorry about all of this. Please, have a lemon drop for your trouble.'" At this, Ron and Neville fell over laughing.

"That's not something to joke about, Harry." Hermione's tone was a no-nonsense one now, and she glared at the boys still laughing on the floor. "Getting expelled is a very serious thing."

"Hermione, you have to understand Dumbledore." Ron had managed to catch his breath but hadn't bothered to sit back up yet. "You should have seen him when they took us to Hogsmeade. He practically bought out Honeydukes sweetshop, and Harry even says that the password to his office is always a sweet."

"That's all I meant by it, Hermione." Harry hadn't meant to offend the girl and was grateful for Ron's help. "I just meant that Albus plays very sweet and grandfatherly with lots of sweets that make it a miracle the man still has a tooth left in his mouth. On the other hand, there are times he needs to be serious, and when those times happen, he can be quite intimidating."

"I see." Hermione's voice was stiff and Harry just sighed. He liked the idea of being friends with Hermione, but it was going to take some getting used to.

The four friends stayed up until midnight talking. They didn't notice their fellow Gryffindors head to bed, and when they all turned around, they were shocked to find the common room nearly empty. They took this as their cue to separate for the night, and Harry, Ron, and Neville went up the staircase to the boys' dormitory, while Hermione crossed the room and went up the stairs to the girls'.

As Harry slipped into some red and gold flannel pajamas that Minerva and Albus had bought him before school, Harry couldn't help but wonder about the events of the day. He hadn't been allowed to do a lot of reading when he was at the Dursleys for fear of looking smarter than Dudley, _which of course he was. _He had heard a lot of television shows and movies, though, and could therefore put together a few pieces of knowledge. When he was locked in his room as punishment, Dudley was at school, and Uncle Vernon was at work, Aunt Petunia would watch soap operas. Harry couldn't see the screen, of course, but he could hear a good portion of the dialogue. There was usually some mushy nonsense where a man asked the girl if she believed in fate, the girl said that she did, and they wound (stay in past tense) up getting married.

Considering it was all that he had to distract himself from thoughts about how hungry he was, Harry would spend quite a bit of time pondering what those shows meant, granted there wasn't much he could ponder when it came to some woman taking her wealthy husband to a single, male doctor, only to find out that he had terminal cancer and would be dead by the end of the month. Considering they were all he had to distract himself from thoughts about how hungry he was; Harry would spend quite a bit of time thinking about fate. All of the mushy stuff didn't leave much to think about, but Harry could often distract himself by thinking about fate. His first question had been what fate was, and since asking questions was forbidden he'd had to figure it out on his own. It took him awhile of listening to the shows in his cupboard to realize that fate and destiny were at least similar. Now he couldn't help but wonder if it was fate that he, Ron, Neville, and Hermione had all become friends. It was clear that they were all a group of misfits that desperately needed each other; could that be why they had gotten along in the end? Harry didn't know, but he was happy that they were all together now.


	15. Life Threatening Situations

Chapter 15: Life Threatening Situations

Harry could have kicked himself when he got to the Great Hall and entire Quidditch team was lumped together at the Gryffindor table talking about how they were going to flatten Slytherin tomorrow. Why in the name of Merlin did he stay up late talking to his friends? At the very least, why hadn't he started his essay while doing it? With all of these thoughts running through his mind, he just groaned as he sank into an empty seat between Ron and Hermione, with Neville on the other side of Ron.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione was quick to notice Harry's discomfort while Ron had immediately lunged for a gigantic cinnamon roll.

"Oh I just forgot to mention that I'm on restriction until I finish a three-foot essay for Albus," Harry mumbled as he poured himself some pumpkin juice and took a serving of scrambled eggs with ham and cheese in them.

"Oh that sucks." Neville threw Harry a sympathetic look before grabbing a few pancakes.

"Wait, what does that mean?" Ron suddenly demanded with his mouth full of sticky cinnamon roll. "You can still play in tomorrow's game, right?"

"Ronald, don't talk with your mouth full," Hermione snapped as she finally reached for a blueberry muffin.

"You just _have_ to be able to play," Ron stated ignoring Hermione. "We don't have a reserve seeker, and you're the best on the team. Plus it's your very first game and you're the youngest seeker in a century."

"I get it, Ron," Harry snapped successfully shutting him up for a moment. "If you would give me a chance to talk I'd explain." Harry's voice came out a bit more irritated than he wanted, but Ron didn't speak however so Harry pressed his advantage and continued. "Albus says that I'm on restriction until I get him the three-foot essay. That means that aside from meals and class, I'm not to be out of the Gryffindor common room or the library. That includes not going to, or playing, the game tomorrow." Before Ron could interrupt him, Harry hurried on. "However, if I manage to get the essay to Albus tonight before curfew, I'll be off restriction and even able to play."

"Why just until curfew?" Ron stated once more with his mouth full. Harry could just shrug. "But you could finish it tonight, turn it in in the morning, and be off restriction in time to go to the game."

"I don't know why he insists it be in tonight, Ron." Harry just sighed as he ate some of his eggs, chewed, and swallowed before speaking again. "I'm assuming that if I turn it in in the morning, I'll be able to go to the game but won't be able to play, though I honestly don't know."

"It's alright, Harry; we'll see what we can do to help you out," Hermione piped up as she brushed muffin crumbs off her lap. "Three feet isn't much, but it's quite a bit to get done in one day. Why didn't you start it last night?"

Harry sighed; that really was the question wasn't it? "I don't know, Hermione. I got to talking to you lot and just forgot. That's part of the reason I groaned when I sat down; I wasted all that time."

"Well, lucky for you we have our afternoon free since it's Friday." With that, Hermione took a clump of grapes and started popping them into her mouth.

"Wish we didn't have to go to Potions, though," Neville mumbled as he pushed his pancake around in the syrup on his plate. "Double Potions with the Slytherins makes Friday the worst day of the week."

"Oh come on, Potions isn't that bad." Hermione popped another grape in her mouth but leaned into the table to look at Neville. "You just have to focus and follow the directions. I can partner with you if you want; that will help."

"Thanks, Hermione," Neville said, perking up a little before he ate the last bite of his pancake.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Potions class was as much of a nightmare as it ever had been. Professor Snape had long since given up on picking on Harry since Harry made it a point to read the text before coming to class as if there was going to be a pop quiz each period. Of course, with Snape, the possibility was pretty likely. The only thing Professor Snape picked on him for now was when the potion he was working on didn't turn out quite right. Considering Harry was the second best in the class, he just let the snide comments slide off him, especially since Snape usually gave him a halfway decent grade.

That day, however, Snape seemed to be even more cross than usual. Harry also noticed that the man was limping and seemed to be favoring the leg that Harry had seen bleeding the night before.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin," Ron mumbled halfway through Snape's lecture when he snapped at Seamus for not knowing that you have to crush the basil leaves into a fine powder rather than just placing them in whole or in pieces and took five points from Gryffindor.

"Ron, you aren't supposed to talk about teachers that way," Hermione scolded. "You also need to pay attention instead of talking; you could miss something important."

"Look who's talking, Miss Rule Book," Ron snapped at her.

"For your information, I could probably answer any of the questions Professor Snape was to ask today," Hermione argued back. "You, on the other hand, probably don't even know what pages we were supposed to read last night."

"Sod off, Hermione," Ron snarled, glaring at her.

"If our dream team is quite finished talking about things they no doubt find more important than today's lesson, maybe they can tell us what would happen if you put the ginger roots in while the cauldron is hot." Snape's drawling voice made Ron and Hermione straighten and Hermione go red but quickly answer the question.

"Sir, if you add the ginger roots to a hot cauldron, it makes the potion cloudy and thick."

"Five points each from Gryffindor, Weasley and Granger, for disrupting the rest of the class," Snape snarled, not commenting on Hermione's answer.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

As soon as the bell ring, all four friends bolted for the door, wanting to place as much distance between themselves and Professor Snape as possible. Potions class was only once a week for first years, but all four friends couldn't help but think that that was more than enough.

"Well that was a bloody disaster," Ron commented as he flung his book bag on the floor before sliding into a library chair with Neville next to him.

"Watch your language, Ron," Hermione whispered waspishly as she placed her bag down sliding into her own chair. "So what's your essay on Harry? I can help by finding any books that might be helpful."

"I'm not so sure any book would be of help, Hermione," Harry mumbled as he slid into his own chair between her and Neville. Before he slid his bag to the floor like the others, he pulled out a bottle of ink, a quill, and a roll of parchment.

"What do you mean no book would be of help?" Hermione looked as if Harry had personally insulted her.

"Well it's not on a scholastic topic, Hermione," Harry said biting on the tip of his feather. "My assignment is to write on the importance of following directions, acting in an emergency, and what I could have done differently."

"Well you can still use books. Why else would Professor Dumbledore let you study in the library?" Hermione stated, getting up and walking off to disappear behind the bookshelves.

"Because it's quiet is what he said," Harry replied, not realizing Hermione was already out of earshot. When she didn't reply, he continued to think a moment, before readying his quill and starting to scribble out his essay.

When Hermione returned, she had no less than 10 books piled high in her arms. "All of these are on emergency procedures and listening to authority. That covers the first two topics of your essay, and you can also use the information here to come up with a plan and explain what you could have done differently."

"Blimey, Hermione; if he has to read all of those, he won't make it to the second Quidditch game, never mind tomorrow's," Ron stated as he took in all of the books. Hermione just ignored him and started flipping through her collected material.

Ron and Neville didn't stay much longer simply because Madam Pince didn't allow them to play Quidditch, chess, or exploding snap in the library. Hermione, however, diligently flipped through her stack of books and threw out random bits of information while Harry took what he really liked, since using all of the information she peppered at him would take closer to 5 feet, and that was without his own thoughts added in.

When Harry finally finished, Hermione looked it over to check for spelling. Harry was extremely grateful to her, and when it was finally pronounced finished, he told her he'd meet her back in the common room as soon as he got it to Albus.

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The next morning, Harry couldn't help but wonder if it would have been so terrible to have to miss the game. He had never been on a team before, and now it felt like the entire school was depending on him—or at least three-fourths of it. Gryffindors came up to wish him luck all morning, and even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs lent their support, since everyone seemed desperate to see someone besides Slytherin take the cup. While Harry found himself with overwhelming support, he also found that he had Slytherins trying their best to psych him out.

"Hey, Potter, you had a lucky catch," Malfoy smirked as he walked by the Gryffindor table. "Let's see how long it takes for a Bludger to knock you out. Then you'll have another scar to exploit fame from."

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron snarled. Neville had to grab Ron's arm to keep him from pulling his wand out. Malfoy just sneered as he walked away.

"Don't listen to him, Harry," Ron muttered turning back to his waffles. "You've practiced with the bludgers, and Fred and George are such great beaters they won't let one near you."

"Eat a bit of toast, Harry," Hermione urged, deciding to change the subject. "You're going to need your strength out there today."

"I'm really not hungry, Hermione," Harry mumbled as he glanced up at the head table. He found Albus and Minerva sitting side by side, and both smiled encouragingly at him. This helped, but Minerva was probably the one that worried him the most. He still found the woman more than slightly intimidating, and he wondered if she would yank him off the team if he didn't catch the snitch today.

"Good luck today, Potter." Harry had just picked up a goblet of pumpkin juice, but when he heard the silky voice of Professor Snape behind him he jumped about a mile in his seat and spun around to face the man as he sloshed the sticky stuff all down the front of his black school robes. "Talented. Hopefully you show more skill out on the field. Then again, after taking on a mountain troll, a game of Quidditch shouldn't be anything to worry about."

Before Harry could respond, he walked off with a swish of his cloak, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville speechless.

"He's completely mental," Ron stated as he shook his head and returned to some bacon on his plate.

"He's a teacher, Ronald," Hermione scolded as she held her wand up to Harry. "Tergeo." She gave her wand a tiny flick, and Harry felt the juice leave his robes.

"Thanks for that, Hermione," Harry stated placing the half-empty goblet back on the table.

"He was limping." Neville's statement made the other three all stare at him, and then look back over at Snape as he exited the Great Hall, then back at Neville who just shrugged. "I'm terrified of the man," he stated with a small squeak. "I can't help it if I watch his every move just in case he decides to hex me."

"He wouldn't hex you, Neville," Hermione stated exasperated. She glared at Ron as if his stupidity was rubbing off on Neville. "He's a teacher."

"His leg was bleeding when he came into the bathroom after we defeated the troll on Halloween." Harry's statement made everyone now turn to him, and it was his turn to shrug. "What else was I supposed to look at? It was clear Minerva was ready to strangle me."

"I wonder how he hurt it," Hermione said in wonder as she stared at the doors Snape had long since departed from.

"Whatever it was, it did a terrible job," Ron muttered before dancing out of the way as Hermione swung to smack his arm.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

The cheers were absolutely deafening as the Gryffindor team had walked out onto the pitch. Harry felt his stomach churn even more as he looked at the packed stands. There seemed to be a solid wall of crimson that cheered and supported banners. Harry couldn't help smiling when he saw that a bed sheet had been turned into a banner sporting the words "Potter for President" that flashed different colors painted above a large Gryffindor lion. It made him feel better to know he had loyal friends to stick beside him. On the other hand though, it also made him nervous that his friends would be disappointed if he didn't catch the snitch today.

Besides having loyal friends, he also had a wonderful broom. Harry knew immediately that he needed a broom to fly. That much had been obvious. What he hadn't thought of, however, was that he would need, much less receive, one of his very own. He had been performing spectacularly on one of the old school brooms, and he hadn't complained a bit. It didn't even cross his mind to since it would have been an unconceivable thought to ask his relatives for something of his own that he could borrow from the school. When he had gone to family night one evening at the beginning of October, though, Minerva had handed him a long, thin package that was neatly wrapped. Harry had been stunned at receiving a gift, but when he found that it was his own broomstick, he had been completely speechless. Looking closer at it, he had found he not only had his very own broomstick but that it was a top of the line Nimbus 2000. The only other player on the Gryffindor team with a broom this good was Oliver.

Now Harry was absolutely determined to show his thanks by performing his absolute best and making sure he caught that snitch! He had never had anyone do anything nice for him, and it seemed that Minerva and Albus did nothing but nice things for him. Sure he had been punished a few times, but each time he had put his own life on the line. The Dursleys had punished him loads of times, but not once had they cared if Harry endangered himself. He only got punished for doing freaky magic, or drawing attention from the school or neighbors.

Once Harry was finally in the air, he knew that it would have been absolute torture to have to miss this game. His stomach seemed to have settled as soon as he kicked off from the grass, and now he felt lighter than air. He felt so free that it was extremely hard to remind himself that this was an actual game, and he had to keep out of the way and not fly around showing off. This had been one of Wood's "battle plans." The entire school knew Harry was a first year and had made the Quidditch team with remarkable skills, but the plan was to keep them hidden as much as possible until the time came for him to really shine. Of course, that wasn't going to be terribly easy since they were playing Slytherin, and all of the Slytherin first years had been there when he caught Neville's Remembrall.

Right at first, Harry decided that the most entertaining part of the game was the commentary. He had never been allowed to watch muggle sports with the Dursleys, but Lee Jordan, a friend of the Weasley twins, was absolutely hilarious. Of course, the boy had to practically dance out of the way since Minerva kept looking like she was going to clock him a good one for three-fourths of his remarks.

Gryffindor was the first to score, and Harry felt like he was, quite literally, on cloud nine. He couldn't help himself, and he let out a couple of loop-the-loops to expedite some of his excitement.

It didn't take Harry long before he caught his very first glimpse of the snitch, and without even thinking about it, he lay flat on his broom and sped toward the golden ball. This was going to be absolutely amazing to catch the snitch so soon. Only one goal had been scored so far, and that would put the score at 160 to 0. Slytherin would have a hard time bouncing back from that loss. With all of this floating through his head and his concentration on the snitch, Harry wasn't paying attention to any of the other players until he suddenly crashed into a big wall of green.

Harry wasn't very big and was underweight because of his malnutrition at the Dursleys', so he found it a major accomplishment that he was able to stay on his broom. The jolt had ruined his concentration, however, and he spun out of control, only focused on not plummeting to his death 50 feet below.

By the time he got himself in control again, the snitch had vanished. Smacking his broom in frustration, he glared at the Slytherin captain Marcus Flint and couldn't help but smile at the fact that Lee was being quite liberal in his opinion of the boy. It didn't escape Harry's attention either that Minerva was doing close to nothing to discourage him this time.

Gryffindor was awarded a penalty shot, and Harry was glad to see that Alicia put the Quaffle easily into the goal. He couldn't let Flint's foul keep him unfocused or that could cost them the game completely, and he absolutely refused to allow that.

Harry didn't have much choice in the matter, though. Shortly after he had gotten refocused, he felt his broom give a violent jerk that felt like he had run into Flint again. However, there was nobody near him this time. At first he thought it was just a fluke thing and he had imagined it, but then it happened again. Soon, it was all Harry could do to stay on his broom since it seemed determined to knock him off. He decided that it would be best for him to try and signal Wood for a timeout so he could figure out what was going on, but he found that he had absolutely no control. His broomstick was no longer listening to him, and he felt himself being lifted higher in the air as he continued to be jerked around. What was going on?

Harry was so startled that he couldn't even scream for help. Now it was a little late since he was drifting farther and farther from the other players, and the wind didn't do him any favors.

Harry was wondering why he hadn't kept his wand in his robes when he saw players around him finally notice what was going on and attempt to pull him to safety onto one of their brooms. It didn't work, though, because as they got closer, Harry got higher and avoided their grasp. The team finally backed off and circled below him as if hoping to catch him if he fell.

It seemed like an eternity later, but Harry had finally been unseated from his broom and was dangling in the air as he held on with one hand. He knew he couldn't hold on any longer and was just praying that someone from his team would catch him when the time came; or that someone with a wand handy knew a spell to form a giant net that would catch him. As it turned out, there was no need for his team to catch him or for a giant net. At what seemed like the very last second, Harry's broom stopped trying to buck him off, and he was in control once more. It took him a fraction of a second to swing his other hand up to grab the broom and then swing himself the rest of the way on before speeding to the ground just to get out of the air for a moment.

Before Harry hit the ground, he felt something fly into his mouth and practically choke him. It was too big to completely swallow so it was causing a bit of discomfort. About five feet from the ground, he gave up and rolled off his broom just letting himself drop to try and dislodge whatever it was that was blocking his airway. When he was finally able to cough it up, he stared at his hands stunned before holding up the tiny gold ball. "I've caught the snitch!" he shouted, and the stadium was a complete roar of noise as everyone tried to figure out what exactly had happened. Harry hadn't even meant to catch the tiny ball he was now holding between his fingers, at least not this way. He hadn't seen the thing but had rather been completely focused on getting out of the air before his broom tried to kill him again.

Harry didn't have time to wonder what exactly was going on, however, because Minerva had shoved her way through the crowd and was instantly at Harry's side, followed closely by Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, and Neville. It felt amazing to have friends that truly cared like this.

"You just took 10 years off my life, Potter," Minerva stated as she clutched her heart. Hermione flung herself to the ground beside him to check if he was alright, and Harry couldn't help but blush slightly. "I thought we said no more life-threatening situations." Minerva's voice was scolding, but she too got down and hugged him tightly after running a diagnostic with her wand.

"It wasn't his fault, Professor!" Hermione chimed in as she stood and offered her hand to help Harry up. "Professor Snape was jinxing his broom. I saw him."

"I know it's not his fault, Miss Granger," Minerva snapped, slightly distracted, then the rest of the brown-haired witch's sentence caught her attention, and she turned to face her. "That is complete rubbish. Severus is a Hogwarts teacher and would not try to attack Harry."

"Yeah, he might not like me, but he doesn't hate me any more than the rest of you," Harry stated, also shocked at this turn of events. Snape had made it clear that he didn't like any of the Gryffindors, but it wasn't as if he went out of his way to make Harry's life hell. He reserved those efforts for Neville. Besides, he didn't think Snape was stupid enough to try to attack him publicly like that. On top of this, hadn't it been Hermione that had reminded them all day yesterday that Snape was a teacher and wouldn't try to hurt them? What was going on?

"It's true, Professor," Hermione insisted stubbornly. She didn't like feeling incompetent in front of adults, and while Hagrid barely counted, Professor McGonagall was Harry's soon-to-be adoptive mother, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, the Head of Gryffindor, and the Transfiguration Professor. There was no way Hermione wanted to look incompetent in front of her. "When Harry's broom started going out of control, I recognized it as a jinx because I've read all about them. I took Hagrid's binoculars to look through the crowd, and Professor Snape wasn't breaking eye contact and he was muttering constantly. That's how a jinx works, Professor."

"I am fully aware of how a jinx works, Miss Granger. I can assure you that I am much older than you are and have seen many in my lifetime. I have also known Professor Snape longer than you, and he is not the type to jinx a broom or put a student's life in danger like that." Minerva's tone was hard, and Harry could see why Hermione had been put in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw because she still wasn't backing down. Minerva seemed to realize this as well, so she continued. "You say you have read up on jinxes. Have you perhaps read up on anti-jinxes as well? They require the same focus and concentration. Since you insist on pushing the matter, you can write a three-foot essay for me on jinxes and counterjinxes to be turned in when you come to my class Tuesday."

"But Professor!" Hermione sounded like she was completely desperate now, and Ron and Neville each grabbed one of her arms.

"Let it go, Hermione," Ron mumbled low in her ear.

"I'm not crazy!" Hermione all but wailed as she looked at Minerva with pleading eyes. "I'll write the essay, but I'm not crazy. I know it was him. Harry wasn't safe until I set fire to Professor Snape's robes."

At this statement, everyone stared at Hermione, and she seemed to realize she had given away too much information in her hysterical babbling because she suddenly bit down hard on her lip to keep from saying anything more.

"You did _what_, Miss Granger?" Minerva's attention was solely on Hermione now, and the girl looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there.

"I, um..." Hermione could only stutter as she looked at her feet. "When I saw Professor Snape jinxing Harry's broom, I panicked and set out to stop it so Harry didn't fall and get hurt. I kept a low profile and just sort of... set fire to his robes. It didn't last," Hermione assured them, almost as panicked now as she had been when she had seen Snape muttering and staring at Harry. Quickly, she placed her hand inside her robes and pulled out a jar of blue flames. "I conjured the blue flames, and then when he broke contact, I scooped them into the jar and ran."

"Miss Granger!" Minerva was completely speechless. She had been caught off guard with Hermione's accusations of Severus trying to make Harry fall off his broom, but this was absolutely astounding. "Nothing gives a student the right to set fire to a professor!" Hermione hung her head and began studying the ground once more. This gave Minerva a bit of strength to get over her shock. "If you think something is wrong, with a professor or student, you need to alert a professor right away. You do not take matters into your own hands, and you definitely do not set anyone on fire! I don't care how _controlled_ you think it is. What if that fire had escaped your control, Miss Granger? We were in a wooden stadium, and if it had caught fire we could have all been burned."

"I didn't think about that, Professor." Hermione could barely speak, and she blinked her eyes rapidly to fight back tears that were clouding up her eyes.

"That, Miss Granger, is obvious." Minerva's tone was cold, and Harry thought her lips had completely disappeared off of her mouth. "20 points will be taken from Gryffindor Miss Granger for your incredibly foolish decision. You will also serve detention with me this evening and with Professor Snape tomorrow evening, since it was _him_ you set on fire."

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked up to face Minerva, looking absolutely horrified. There was no way she wanted Snape knowing what she had done. She would be dead the first instant he got her alone. "Y-yes ma'am." This time her whisper was barely audible as she stuttered her understanding.

"On top of the essay I just gave you on jinxes and counterjinxes, you will also write a five-foot essay on what could have gone wrong with your plan, including what could have happened if you had broken Professor Snape's countercurse while the jinx was still being applied." Hermione paled at this thought. "Also include in that essay how you could have better handled the situation. They will be handed in next Saturday morning, or you will have two more detentions next weekend. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Hermione couldn't hold in the tears anymore, and she was extremely grateful when Neville squeezed her hand comfortingly. All she had wanted to do was help her friend from being killed, and now she was in more trouble than she'd even been in her life.

With Hermione finally taken care of, Minerva turned to Harry. "Are you sure you're alright?" Now that he was standing she waved her wand again to take one more diagnostic, and when she found nothing wrong, she let the four friends traipse off to Hagrid's hut to converse about the day's events, especially since she was pretty sure Hermione was only staying held together because she was still in front of the professor who had just punished her.

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**Author's Note: **I wanted to thank you all for your wonderful reviews once more. I'm also extremely excited I finally reached the 100 mark! You guys are truly amazing. I also want to apologize for not updating last week. I try to get an update a week but sometimes it just doesn't happen so I'm sorry.

As for this chapter, I hope you guys liked it. If any of you are shocked that Hermione told Minerva she set Snape on fire, I can easily picture that because Minerva was doubting her, and Hermione doesn't want to seem like an idiot. Therefore she jumps into psychotic babbling in an attempt to prove herself, and you have to remember that neither of the boys know exactly what Hermione did to stop Snape so they didn't realize they should probably try hard to shut her up before she gave anything away.

Coming up, we see Albus and Minerva's marriage, as well as an introduction to Lupin. Hope you are as excited as I am if not more :)

~Lily


	16. Marriage of Convenience

Chapter 16: Marriage of Convenience

Harry, Ron, and Neville all felt bad that Hermione had gotten in trouble, especially since she would have to serve detention with Snape, which could lead to him finding out that she had been the one to set him on fire. When the four friends left the Quidditch pitch, they didn't make it to Hagrid's before Hermione slid to the ground and just started crying.

"I'm sorry Hermione; we didn't know what you had done to stop Harry from being killed." Neville placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, and Hermione leaned into him.

"Yeah, we also didn't realize you would tell McGonagall. If we had known that, we would have tried harder to shut you up." Ron slid down on the other side of Neville and pulled a chocolate frog that Harry had given him out of the pocket of his robes.

"I always babble endlessly when I get upset, and I was really upset that she didn't believe me," Hermione stated through her tears. "She's right, though; I guess I did jump to conclusions. I just wasn't thinking because I was so scared for Harry, and when I saw Snape, I panicked. Now the question is, if Snape wasn't the one jinxing the broom, who was?"

"I don't know Hermione, but I'm glad you tried to save me. It meant a lot to me." Harry slid down on the other side of Hermione then laid down to just look at the sky. "When I wasn't in control of my broom, I couldn't help but think that I now understand what you and Neville must feel when you're 20 feet in the air supported by nothing but a broomstick. It was extremely frightening, and I just wanted to get out of the air."

"Tell you what Hermione, next time you start babbling hysterically like that, one of us will clamp a hand over your mouth to shut you up," Ron stated with his mouth full of chocolate. "You just have to promise not to bite us."

"Thanks guys." Hermione wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robes and stood up. "Why don't we head inside? Harry hasn't eaten much today, and I'm sure that with the Gryffindor win, there will be a party."

"Sounds good," Ron commented as he jumped to his feet as well. "I'm absolutely starving, and nothing at Hagrid's is going to be edible."

"You're always starving," Neville pointed out.

"I'm a growing boy," Ron defended as they walked back toward the castle.

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November passed without much more excitement. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville spent almost all of their time together with Harry, only leaving for Quidditch practice or family night. The four friends had decided that Harry stood less chance of being attacked again if he was with someone at all times, even if his companions were usually a gang of first years. Whether it was the fact the attacker had given up, or Harry really was safer by traveling in his group, the kids didn't have to worry about anything more than being annoyed by Malfoy and his idiot cronies. The three Slytherins had taken the pain of their loss and turned it around to mock Harry about how he should be in the ballet rather than playing Quidditch, since he obviously depended on his teammates to protect him while in the air.

Harry had long ago decided that Malfoy wasn't worth the effort and had decided to just ignore him, especially since they didn't have to put up with him very often. Harder to ignore, though, was Minerva's order to spend a week in her office after school until his homework was finished because Professor Quirrell had told her Harry had failed to turn his homework in one day.

"But Minerva, it's not like it matters," Harry had complained when she'd taken five privilege points. He had immediately cowered under the furious look she had given him and hurriedly continued on to explain his thoughts. "I mean it's not like he teaches us much. If anything, he shows his terror more than anything. All he does in class is stutter, or jump at the slightest thing."

"That may be true, Harry, but Defense is a very important subject; even more so for you." Harry had quailed at the stern look the woman shot him at this point and had hastily started on his missing essay. "Even if Professor Quirrell doesn't teach you very much, you have books and homework that help teach you."

"Yes ma'am," Harry mumbled as he flipped through his textbook. He could see her point in that. Even if his teacher was scared of his own shadow, the book had some decent information. What he didn't completely understand was why Minerva thought that he might need Defense more than the other students. He didn't dare question her, though, and instead just started on his homework.

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After the first week of December, it seemed that chaos had broken out in many classes, and some of the teachers had given up on teaching anything. Class time in Defense and Astronomy was now mostly used for playing games or chatting with friends about the upcoming holiday. Other teachers had tried to maintain a little bit of structure but made allowances for the waning attention spans by adjusting their lessons to reflect the holiday spirit. In Herbology, the first years helped harvest magical fairy garlands as they also learned about the different magical plants and that came into bloom, had to be harvested, or could only be found around Christmas time. In Charms, Professor Flitwick had them stringing magical baubles together and then let them help decorate the giant Christmas trees Hagrid brought in by levitating the baubles around the tree branches.

Minerva and Professors Snape and Binns seemed to feel as if the holidays didn't even exist. Minerva and Snape demanded full concentration in their classes and also handed out plenty of homework to keep them busy and focused. Professor Binns had, predictably, seemed completely oblivious to everything going on around him. Of course, that also meant that he didn't completely see that the students never paid attention on normal days and were completely clocked out now that Christmas was around the corner.

Minerva had also come around Gryffindor tower with a list for students to sign if they planned on staying in the castle. Before Harry could even ask, Minerva told him that he would not be staying for the holidays. She and Albus would be getting married the day after school was released, and the family would then spend the remainder of the Christmas Holiday in the Caribbean. Harry was extremely excited to hear that since he had never been allowed to go on any type of holiday with the Dursleys. Even when they went to visit Uncle Vernon's sister Aunt Marge, Harry was sent to stay with Mrs. Figg for a few days.

The Dursleys had never stayed away for many days. They didn't want to be around him, but they didn't trust him to act "normal" for long and didn't want the neighbors finding out about his freakishness. They only trusted him with Mrs. Figg for a few days because they had long since decided she was completely crazy and senile. He had thought so as well since he had sat in her living room several times and had even talked to her about life at the Dursleys.

She had always listened politely and told him that everything would be alright. Harry didn't know why, but Mrs. Figg had always made him feel confident and at ease. He knew there was no way it was possible, but she had seemed to know something that nobody else had. As it turned out, she had! She had known that he was a wizard and that one day everything really would be alright. Maybe that was why she hadn't informed anyone. The Dursleys weren't stupid enough to kill him. They were too afraid of the neighbors finding out that they didn't have a perfect life, but they were even more afraid of the wizards. She had known that he would be relatively safe until he would be able to get to Hogwarts and maybe turn his life around.

She had been right. Harry found it hard to not be angry with Mrs. Figg for not helping him sooner, or, at the very least, not telling him at least a little bit so that he had a bit of hope to cling to. How many times had he wished for a miracle to come and rescue him? He had told her everything, and she had just left him there. He found it in his heart to forgive her, though, because even though she hadn't told him help was coming, she had made him feel safe and had given him an occasional safe haven to retreat to when he needed it.

Later, Albus had shown up with the full story, and Harry had originally felt anger that this man had been the one to leave him with his relatives in the first place. The rage had subsided, though, as he listened to Albus explain about how he had wanted Harry to have a shot at a normal life, had hoped his relatives would have treated him better, and because of the blood wards, Harry had been safest with his mother's sister. Between the explanation and the fact that Albus had seemed sincerely apologetic at having put Harry through the neglect and abuse at his relatives', Harry had found room in his heart for one more bout of forgiveness. In Albus's opinion, this showed just how much like his mother the boy truly was.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

When the time came for the train to leave Hogwarts and take them back to platform 9 and ¾, Hermione and Harry were all packed up and ready to go. Neville and Ron would be staying at the castle, since Neville was so excited to have friends to keep him company, and Ron's parents were leaving for Romania to visit his brother Charlie and couldn't afford to take the entire family along. Harry saw how red his friend's face became at this comment and chose to ignore it.

Hermione, on the other hand, was going home to spend the holidays with her parents. Since Hermione was an only child, the Grangers wanted to spend as much time with their daughter as they could. She had also never been away from home before, so she had started missing her parents considerably.

As for Harry, Albus and Minerva would be meeting him on the platform and would make their travel arrangements from there. The wedding was planned for the next day, and Harry had been assured that it would only be a small ceremony with very few guests. Harry was glad to hear it, since he wasn't a terribly big fan of large crowds, especially when everyone in that crowd knew his name and his past better than he did.

He and Hermione passed the time on the train by playing a few games of exploding snap, and Hermione then talked Harry into taking turns quizzing each other on what they had learned in the past few months. Their trip was blessedly quiet with no interference from Malfoy, but Harry was still ready to say goodbye to Hermione and leave with Albus and Minerva so that they could return to their small cottage. Albus and Minerva, however, had no plans of returning to their little cottage. Instead, they had a surprise for Harry.

"I do hope you had a good trip, Harry," Albus smiled as he placed a hand on the dark-haired child's shoulder. He then turned to Hermione and continued to smile pleasantly. "Riding the train is so much more pleasant when you can pass the time with friends. Would you care for a lemon drop, Miss Granger?" With that, Albus extended his other hand and held out a small tin with the crystalized lemon candies. Hermione looked absolutely stunned, and Harry could barely suppress a laugh as he shot his friend an "I told you so" look.

"No thank you, Headmaster," Hermione smiled as she declined politely. "Both of my parents are muggle dentists, and I don't eat a whole lot of sweets."

"Well that is really too bad, Miss Granger, but I wish you the best this holiday." With that, Albus selected a drop for himself and popped it into his mouth before offering the tin to Harry.

"Really Albus," was all Minerva could say as she stood straight and stiff, looking as stern as ever. This made Harry and Hermione exchange another look and just smile at each other before Hermione spotted her parents and waved goodbye, telling Harry that she would see him at school. In the past few months, Harry had spent plenty of time with Minerva at their family night meetings, and as a result, he wasn't anywhere near as intimidated by her as he had been. She was strict, but she really cared for him. Harry just had to learn to work around her prickly side by making sure he did what he was supposed to.

"Well, Harry, now that you are here, why don't we head out? We already have a guest waiting for us at home, and it would be a shame to keep him waiting." With that, Albus cast a featherweight charm on Harry's trunk and led the way off of Platform 9 and ¾ and onto the rest of King's Cross station, where they took the trolley once more to the Leaky Cauldron and then flooed to their small cottage.

Harry was happy when he didn't fall on his face like he had the last time, but he was shocked when he looked up to see a worn man sitting on a chair reading the _Evening Prophet_. At the sound of the Floo, the man looked up, and for a moment he just stared at Harry, taking him in. He then slowly got up, placed the _Prophet _on the chair he had been sitting on, and walked towards him.

"Harry?" The man looked tired and wore torn-up clothes, but he spoke in a gentle voice that calmed Harry's nerves a bit. Harry took a single, cautious step towards this man without taking his eyes off of him. All he could do was watch the man in silence for a moment, and then jumped a foot in the air when the Floo roared to life once more behind him.

"Harry what on Earth?" Minerva demanded as she narrowly avoided stumbling over the boy. "You can't just stand in front of the fireplace when people are coming behind you." With that, she took Harry's arm and led him away just in time for Albus to come through.

"I'm sorry, Minerva, it was my fault." The man that had been reading the paper spoke up, but his eyes never left Harry. This made Harry trust him a bit more since he hadn't just let Minerva shout at him. "I startled him, but he just looks so much like James. I didn't expect it to hit so close to home."

"You knew my father?" Now Harry's voice was completely stunned, but he was unable to help a slight desperation that slipped out. He had heard a few stories from Albus and Minerva about his father and mother, but this man looked like he would be about his parents' age, and that would mean he could learn about his parents from someone who possibly grew up with them. Even if the man had only known his father, it would be a start. On the other hand, that left the question about where this man had been when he'd been shipped off to the Dursleys.

"I knew your father, and your mother, but I knew your father the best." The man finally looked away from Harry, and at Minerva and Albus.

"Harry, this is Remus Lupin, and he was one of your father's best friends." It was Albus that spoke, and he wore his normal kind smile, but what caught Harry off guard was that even Minerva had a small smile. The woman was always so serious, and according to her, Harry's father had done everything short of blow the entire castle to the ground. To see her smile at seeing a man that could have helped his father create havoc throughout the school was slightly unusual. Albus could be expected to have a smile, since he seemed to take most things with a grain of salt and would probably see it all as a very fond memory now, but to see Minerva smile was a bit of a shock.

"Your father and Remus met when they started Hogwarts. They were in my house, and I can promise you that they practically turned the entire castle upside down." Minerva moved around the group to sit on the couch, and everyone followed her lead, sitting down as well so that they could continue their talk.

"Be fair here, Minerva, I was the sensible one of the group that tried to keep the others reined in at least a little bit." Remus's smile faltered and he attempted to hide behind a throw pillow when Minerva glared at him. Harry couldn't help but smile at that; if Remus's statement was true, then he could understand that Minerva might be happy to see him because he had been the one to try and keep his friends from turning the dungeons into a giant swimming pool just to see if purebloods taught their children to swim.

"A lot of good you did with that, Remus. I still seem to remember James and Sirius taking a mattress from your dorm and levitating it to the tower steps before surfing down them with you right behind them."

"Oh come on, it was all in good fun, Minerva. We were young."

Harry, Remus, Albus, and Minerva spent the entire evening just talking and filling Harry in on life at Hogwarts in the '70s. In the past, Albus and Minerva had mostly told Harry stories about his parents. He knew that his mother had disliked his father for years before she dated him, but the details had been sketchy since teachers only know so much of the drama that fills adolescent life. When Remus explained that James had once managed to sneak into the girls' dormitory and kidnap all of Lily's clothes leaving her only a skimpy little outfit, Harry could understand why his mother had been so annoyed by his father.

"Remus Lupin!" Minerva scolded. "Would you care to explain to me just how Mr. Potter managed to get into Miss Evans's dorm? Boys are not able to get up those stairs, and I am fully aware that you boys knew that."

At this, Remus colored slightly and became very interested in his paper once more. "Do you remember how James was an excellent flyer, Minerva? Well, he had no trouble in locating the female dormitory window." This made Harry crack up laughing, but a scowl from Minerva shut him right up.

As the talk continued, Harry felt more comfortable with Remus but couldn't help wondering where he had been when Harry had been sent to live with his relatives. According to the stories the man had to share, he had been very close with both of his parents by the time of their murder, and it wouldn't have been unheard of for a close family friend like that to take in a child if something were to happen to the parents. Had Remus been so emotionally unstable at the murder of his friends that he hadn't been able to take care of the child? Had he not wanted Harry because he would be reminded too much of the loss of his friends? Was he just not the type to raise a family? Had Albus talked him into thinking that Harry was better off with his relatives because of the blood wards? If it was this last one, how had Remus felt about letting Harry go away to live with Muggles and not see him for many years with the possibility of never seeing him again?

All of these questions chased themselves around Harry's mind, but he decided to file them away for another day. Right now, everyone was in such a good mood, the wedding was tomorrow, and it was nice just to hear stories about his parents. Now that Harry knew about Remus, he would have plenty of time to talk to the man, even if it had to be through owl, but he would prefer to be able to ask him such questions in person. It would be nice to get a physical reaction from the man rather than just a piece of parchment that could hide all of the emotion.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

The next morning dawned early for Minerva McGonagall. The nerves had set in as soon as her last class had ended, but she had been trying to hide them. Visiting with Lupin had been tremendously helpful since it had taken her mind off of the pending wedding. It had felt good to speak with Lupin and remember Lily and James some more. They had all been careful not to mention either Sirius or Peter the entire evening. While Harry would find out eventually, they hadn't thought that the day before a wedding in preparation for adoption was the best time to tell him that his father's best friend had betrayed Harry's father and mother, and then turned around and killed another member of their group.

Harry also hadn't asked where Lupin had been the past ten years, and that had come as a major relief. Minerva could only hope that the boy understood that Albus had wanted him to grow up away from the Wizarding world and that they had thought living with his mother's sister would be the safest place for him because of the protection of the blood wards.

For right now, though, Minerva could only focus on her nerves. Minerva had carefully kept her heart locked away ever since she had fallen in love at 18. Dougal McGregor had been an incredibly handsome and clever boy and everything she could ever want in a man. However, he had been a muggle and that would have meant locking away her wand and spending her life watching her children grow up performing magic and trying to hide it from the neighbors, just like her mother had done. She hadn't even been able to tell Dougal why she couldn't marry him because she would have broken the International Statute of Secrecy and lost the job pending for her at the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement for which she was giving up the love of her life. Yes, Minerva had decided long ago that she would rather have a career than a husband.

It wasn't as if Minerva had not been given another chance at marriage. Shortly after she had returned to Hogwarts, her former Ministry boss, Elphinstone Urquart, had proposed. That would have been a marriage that would have given her a husband and allowed her to continue magic since it would have been a marriage inside the Ministry itself, but she had turned him down because she was still in love with Dougal. Elphinstone had continued to propose again every now and then just to see if Minerva had changed her mind and had actually made his most recent proposal just last Christmas, but she had never even considered accepting.

Now she was not only going to be married at 17:00 this evening, but she was going to be married to a man that was twice her age. Albus Dumbledore had been her Transfiguration teacher when she had started at Hogwarts back in 1947. Albus had been her mentor for practically her entire life and had even been the one she studied under when she became an Animagus. Now she was about to marry the man, and it all seemed beyond strange to her.

She just had to tell herself that this was for Harry. For an adoption to be legal, the Ministry required a two-parent home, and that meant marriage. Sure either she or Albus could have kept things simple and just taken guardianship of the boy, but to offer maximum protection, aside from the blood wards of course, Harry needed to legally be the son of his guardian—or in this case, guardians.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

17:00 on Saturday December 21, 1991 arrived, and Minerva could hardly breathe as she stood beside the man who had taught her practically everything she knew and had been a type of grandfather to her. She felt that a wedding deserved a certain type of respect but had definitely not wanted to go the full nine yards with an elegant white gown, veil, and tiara. Instead, she stood in peach dress robes that flowed easily around her with a single line of tiny pearls stitched into the hem of the robes as well as the hem of each sleeve. On her feet, she wore low peach-colored heels that matched her robes, and her long hair had been pulled into a more frilly type of bun with curls cascading down the base of her neck.

Even Albus had toned down his wardrobe for the occasion and stood beside Minerva in pale blue dress robes that matched the eyes that twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. His long white hair and beard were trimmed neatly and his black boots were freshly polished.

Albus and Minerva stood side by side as they faced a Ministry official. A severe and beat-up man Albus called Alastor Moody, and Remus referred to as "Mad-Eye" Moody, stood to the right of the official with a woman that looked even older than Albus named Bathilda Bagshot. These two would serve as the required two witnesses, but Harry couldn't help but think that with the Moody character as a witness, nobody would dare question the marriage. He wore one glass eye that revolved completely around like a marble and walked on an artificial leg, both of which made the man look intimidating enough without his serious demeanor that seemed to never relax and gave the impression that fun was a foreign word to him.

The ceremony began with the Ministry official reading the required text. Albus and Minerva then spoke their vows to each other, were pronounced man and wife, and then finally sealed the marriage with a polite kiss that both knew would be the only one to ever pass between them.

After the ceremony, there was a dinner prepared, and Harry was properly introduced to the handful of guests that had been invited to this small wedding. Remus was there, of course, but he was the youngest member of the guest list, and Harry felt that he was only there for his benefit.

Mad-Eye Moody, as it turned out, was a retired Auror. When Harry asked what an Auror was, the man had shot a glare at Albus and Minerva as if he thought that knowing about Aurors was one of the most important things Harry could learn about. As Harry listened, he decided that Aurors were kind of like the muggle police force and military all rolled into one. It was actually pretty interesting, and Harry could understand what made Mad-Eye so serious and untrusting, especially since he had served during the last wizarding war.

Bathilda Bagshot turned out to be the most famous historian of this century and had lived next door to the Dumbledores when Albus was growing up and was also the great aunt to a childhood friend of Albus's that wasn't really mentioned.

Another guest was a man named Elphias Doge who turned out to be one of Albus's best friends from Hogwarts. Harry was interested to learn a little about how Albus was at Hogwarts and laughed at the story of Albus lighting his bed curtains on fire in their fourth year. Albus swore that it was an accident, but Elphias teased him that Albus had never liked those curtains to begin with.

The final guest, Harry was surprised to see, was Neville's grandmother , Augusta Longbottom. One glance at the woman made Harry understand why Neville was so timid. She simply _looked_ intimidating. Harry was still polite and talked to her for a moment and updated her on how Neville was doing. Harry was highly entertained to learn that Mrs. Longbottom had gone to school with Minerva, and the two witches had been decent enough friends to keep in contact. Even with how intimidating Mrs. Longbottom was, Harry was interested in hearing some stories about Minerva at school but was not surprised to hear that Minerva had been the top student of her year and served as both Prefect and Head Girl. Harry could easily picture Minerva and an older version of Hermione just calmed down by life, especially since she had fought in the last wizarding war against Voldemort in something called the Order of the Phoenix.

The guests stayed late just talking and catching up on old times. Finally, everyone dispersed except Remus. Harry had spoken with Albus and Minerva and asked if there was a time he would be able to talk to Remus alone for a while. Albus had come up with the idea of asking Remus to spend the night, and Remus had agreed. Harry was ecstatic. He had had several questions before the wedding, but now that he had heard about so many other things, Harry had formed quite a list of questions that he wanted to hear from a different perspective. He was mostly interested in this Order of the Phoenix, since his parents had supposedly served in it with Remus, as well as Albus, Minerva, Mad-Eye, and Mrs. Longbottom.

As it turned out, the Order of the Phoenix was an organization that was led by Dumbledore and had opposed Voldemort and his followers. Harry was fascinated to hear that there was a group of young people that had gathered together to stand up against Voldemort instead of simply run and hide like so many had. Everyone in the Order had practically vowed that they didn't care what happened to them; they would never become Death Eaters. As a result, many had lost their lives or, in the case of Neville's parents, been tortured to insanity. While Harry felt bad for what had happened to many of the people in this organization, he couldn't help but feel proud that his parents had been members of this opposition organization.

**Author's Note: You probably don't believe me, but I'm incredibly sorry it has taken me so long to update. I really am not giving up on this story; I just had writer's block so it took me a few weeks to write. Then my editor was finishing up her semester in the University so she couldn't get to it for another few weeks and it all just added together. I'm definitely not going to make you wait this long again. I've already started the next chapter and will get it to you as soon as I can.**

**Coming up, Remus spends the night and talks to Harry. He tells him more stories about James and Lily, but also tells Harry he's a werewolf.**

**~Lily**


	17. A Step Into the Past

Chapter 17: A step into the past

"Harry, I know why you asked me to spend the night." Remus's voice was soft in the dark as he lay on a cot on Harry's floor.

"Well, I just thought that since you were such good friends with my father..." Harry trailed off not knowing quite how to finish his sentence. For one thing, he didn't want to insult the older man, and for another, he had so many questions rattling around in his brain that he didn't have half a clue where to start.

"That I should have taken you when your parents died," Remus finished Harry's sentence for him as he watched the boy looking up at the ceiling.

Harry couldn't deny that he was shocked by Remus's bluntness of the subject. "Well, yeah; to start with anyway."

"Harry, I want you to know that I would have taken you if I could." Remus heaved a deep sigh as he tried to think of the best way to phrase this. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to tell Harry he was a werewolf but couldn't think of any other way to explain his apparent abandonment of the boy.

"Why couldn't you?" Harry pressed when Remus didn't continue after a moment. He wanted more than anything to trust this man, but he had to know everything first.

"Well, for starters, the ministry would never allow it," Remus explained quietly as he stared at the dark ceiling above him. Why was this so hard? This was James's son, and it wasn't like he was in school where life could be made hell for him if people found out.

"Why?" It was a simple question that made Remus start thinking of the game little kids play where they ask you "why" to every answer you give them.

"Well," Remus paused again as he tried to think of the best way to tell the boy. It wasn't only that he was an outcast to most of the rest of the world, but it just wasn't something you could really spring on an eleven-year-old, especially one that didn't grow up in this world. Remus realized that that was why he was so scared; he wasn't sure he could face rejection from James's son.

"If you don't want to tell me, Remus, you don't have to." The hurt was evident in Harry's voice. Why hadn't this man taken him as a child instead of letting him be sent off with his magic-hating relatives? That in and of itself was painful enough, but to make it worse, the man wasn't even giving him a reason. Even a flimsy excuse about not being mature enough to raise a child would have been better than no excuse at all.

Remus sighed. He could tell he was crushing this child, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Slowly, he stood up in the dark and walked over to the dark-haired boy's bed. "Sit up and scoot over Harry. If I'm going to do this, I want to tell you everything, and I'm going to need to be able to see you."

"Okay." Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of all of this, but he did as instructed and sat up before making room for the older man.

"First of all, I want to know what you think about me," Remus stated simply as he watched the boy beside him.

"Um," Harry stated as he thought about it. This was definitely not what he had been expecting. "What do you mean?"

"Well, what I'm really asking Harry, is what you think of me as a person," Remus explained carefully. "Do you think I'm a monster?"

This completely shocked Harry and he shook his head. "You're not a monster Remus. Even if you didn't take me, it doesn't mean I think of you as a monster. If that were true, I'd think of everyone as monsters."

"That's good," Remus couldn't help but smile at this. Harry was already eleven, but he still had the faith and trust of a child. Thank heavens the Dursleys hadn't completely ruined him of that.

"Why would you ask if I thought you were a monster?" There it was again. They really _were_ playing 20 questions, except these ones didn't have a simple yes or no answer.

"I wanted so badly to take you in, Harry," Remus started patiently. "I would have given anything to take you in myself and make sure you were well cared for. As I said before, however, the Ministry would never allow it because you are the boy who lived, and I am legally seen as a monster."

"What? Why?" Harry could barely splutter the words as he stared at Remus in shock.

"What do you know about werewolves?" Remus decided to skate around Harry's question a moment to see if he could help the boy see more clearly without—hopefully—alarming him.

"Werewolves?" Harry repeated the question in wonderment. Why did Remus want to know what he knew about werewolves? Weren't they just mythical creatures told about in scary stories around the campfire? As he thought about it, however, Harry remembered seeing a chapter on werewolves near the end of his Defense book. Somehow, he didn't think they would get that far this year. "Well," Harry began hesitantly, not wanting to look stupid about not knowing about a magical creature. "We haven't learned about them in Defense Against the Dark Arts yet, but the muggle stories say they are humans that turn into vicious wolf-type creatures during the full moon. When they are in wolf form, they kill anyone that's near them."

"The muggles aren't too far off in that particular legend Harry," Remus looked suddenly very tired and much older than he had been before. "A werewolf is also known as a lycanthrope, and its literal translation means 'wolf man.' The transformation you mentioned is called lycanthropy, and that makes the werewolf very dangerous. His wolf brain completely takes over, and he'll attack anything that gets in his way. He would even kill his best friend and not know it until the transformation ended come daylight."

"That's terrible," Harry was wide-eyed as he looked at Remus. Now he seriously doubted that Professor Quirrell would ever teach them about werewolves; he didn't think the man could talk about them without completely dying of fright.

"It really is Harry," Remus agreed. "That's why the ministry—and everyone else—has deemed them as monsters." As Remus spoke, Harry remained silent as he thought about what Remus was telling him. There had to be a reason behind it all. He'd only known Remus about 30 hours, and the man seemed fairly straightforward and to the point, but this seemed to have nothing to do with their previous conversation. Unless...

"You're a werewolf?" Harry asked in astonishment.

"Yes," Remus stated simply. He found that he was holding his breath as he stared at the green-eyed child for his reaction. He couldn't say he was surprised Harry had caught on so quickly; it had only taken James a year to work out the truth, and that had been with Remus trying his very best to keep it a secret. Harry had two very bright parents and could therefore be expected to pick up the pieces and put things together.

Harry sat in silence for a moment completely shocked. Remus being a werewolf was the last thing he had expected as an excuse for not being able to take him in when his parents were killed. In fact, it was so out there that Harry had to remind himself that in this magical world he now lived in, almost anything was possible. He already dealt with witches, wizards, and ghosts in everyday life; what was keeping the werewolves from making an appearance? Harry looked back up at the man he understood to be his father's best friend and sighed. Here was a man that had to be in his thirties who had just told an eleven-year-old his deepest secret, and he now looked torn between terrified and hopeful.

"Well that's gotta suck," Harry stated with a small smile, not at all sure how to lighten the tension that now seemed to flood his small room. It was enough, though, as Remus released a deep breath and gave a very small smile.

"It does," Remus assured the boy with a sigh. "It's something beyond my control, and it's something that means I can attack and kill anyone without even realizing it. The penalty for my biting or killing someone is death. Because of that, I would not have been able to have you around me at all times and therefore could not become your guardian." Remus looked absolutely heartbroken by this point, and Harry put his small hand on the man's shoulder comfortingly.

"It's not your fault, Remus," Harry stated simply.

Remus was slightly encouraged by the fact that Harry wasn't running away from him. In fact, the boy was doing the very opposite and actually getting closer and touching him. Remus gave a soft smile before speaking once more. "I understand if you never want to see me again, Harry."

Harry was completely thrown back by this comment. "Why wouldn't I want to see you again

Remus blinked slightly at the question. It was stated so simply and with such innocence that it warmed him. He was always so terrified of rejection that Remus had hidden his lycanthropy from everyone that he could. All of his Hogwarts teachers knew so that they could help keep the other students safe. Besides them and his parents, he had only ever confided in his friends, and that had been after they had worked it out for themselves. The day Severus found out had been a nightmare come true for Remus. Severus had never liked him or his friends, and Remus had been sure that everyone would find out and he'd be forced to drop out of school. He had felt bad when Dumbledore had punished Sirius harshly for leading Severus through the secret passage, but Sirius had seriously deserved a severe caning. Not only could Severus have been bitten or killed, but Remus would have received the death penalty.

Harry sighed when Remus didn't answer the question right away. "Remus, I don't care if you're a werewolf. You were my father's best friend all through school, and Albus still trusts and respects you. After that, you would have to offend me personally for me to not want to be around you anymore. I know that you would never hurt me in your werewolf form, if only for the reason that I would never be allowed around you anywhere near the time of a full moon or Albus and Minerva would probably have heart attacks."

Remus couldn't help a small smile at this and didn't bother to correct the boy that wizards and witches couldn't truly have heart failures. If they could, Albus would have probably died many years ago because of his sugar-induced diet.

"Thank you, Harry. Being able to hear you say that means a lot to me," Remus stated giving the dark-haired child a sideways hug.

"Remus, could I ask you something?" The question came through hesitantly, and Remus knew immediately what was coming. It had been James's second question after he had found out; right behind "why didn't you tell us, you idiot?"

"I believe you just did, Harry." Remus forced a smile but kept a kind face.

Harry gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I mean a real question," he stated before lightly hitting Remus in the arm with a pillow.

"I didn't know there was such a thing as fake questions, but do enlighten me as to what _real_ question you have for me." Remus's smile was less forced now. He had a feeling what the boy was going to ask him, and it wasn't as if the answer would reveal anything shocking.

"Well," Harry started feeling kind of shy now that he had Remus's attention. "How and when did you become a werewolf?"

"Using two-question words in one sentence doesn't make it one question little scamp," Remus stated with a grin as he ruffled the boy's hair, making it even more messy. "I guess they really do go together, though. Well, depending on how you ask them." Now Remus was just stalling for time as he tried to think of how best to explain this; he still wasn't used to explaining his lycanthropy, and he doubted he ever would.

"When I was a young child, my father insulted a werewolf by the name of Fenrir Greyback. Greyback is not a man that takes kindly to insults and will strike in vengeance. In fact, Greyback actually embraces the fact that he is a werewolf and uses it to carry out his 'punishments.' That 'was proven true in my father's case when the two of us went camping.

"My father was a muggle. My mother had revealed her identity as a witch before she had agreed to marry him, so he knew about magic and that I too would possess her gifts. On the other hand, my father hadn't given much, if any, thought to any of the other mythical creatures such as trolls, vampires, and of course, werewolves. I was only six years old and therefore didn't know much about them myself. As such, neither of us took any thought about camping in muggle tents on a night of the full moon. I also had no fear of monsters or the dark so took it upon myself to not bother my father when I had to use the toilet in the middle of the night. I made it there safely, but on the way back, I was attacked from behind and knew nothing more until I woke up in St. Mungo's 3 days later."

"That's terrible, Remus!" Harry couldn't help but think about werewolves biting muggles that had absolutely no idea what was going on. At least Remus's mum was a witch, so magic wasn't completely foreign to them. What would happen if a family of complete muggles had a child bitten, though? There would be no explanation, and it would be a life-long curse with the child changing into a killing monster every month. How exactly would the ministry cover that up? According to Lupin, everyone seemed to blame him for his lycanthropy; however, a muggle r would have no knowledge beforehand so couldn't be blamed at all. Right?

"It really is," Remus conceded sullenly. "I'm sorry I couldn't take you after your parents were killed, but the ministry would never have allowed it."

"That's alright," Harry stated simply as he leaned against his wall. "I actually understand your excuse. At least you're not like the rest of the world that idolizes me as the wizarding savior but couldn't care less about my actual life." This was stated bitterly as Harry aimed a kick at his blankets.

Remus couldn't help but smile slightly and wrap one arm around the boy's shoulder. "People really are quite shallow, Harry. That doesn't change for the muggle or wizarding worlds, and I'm sorry you have to get dragged into it so deeply."

"Hey Remus?" Harry asked quietly. "Would you tell me another story about my father?"

Remus couldn't help but smile at that. "Of course, Harry. There is nothing I enjoy more than remembering my time with your father."

**Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. My editor went through a month of organic chemistry and since I couldn't do basic chemistry I really had NO plans to rush her. Hopefully you don't hate me too much, and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Review and let me know what you think.**

**~Lily**


	18. Christmas in the Carribean

Chapter 18: Christmas in the Caribbean

Unless he had to be in class, or Wood was dragging him out of bed for Quidditch practice, Harry had become very accustomed to sleeping in. It was therefore quite a shock to his system when the day after the wedding he was woken at seven in the morning. Normally speaking it wasn't terribly early, but he had been up talking to Remus until three, and it was Christmas break so he had counted on being able to sleep in. It was even more of a shock when he realized that Minerva was half shaking his shoulder, half rubbing his back while she called to him softly.

"Harry, Harry dear, it's time to get up. We need to get ready to leave."

Before he'd come to live with Albus and Minerva, Harry had been accustomed to being awoken early by Aunt Petunia rapping harshly at the door to his cupboard under the stairs shrieking for him to get up and make breakfast before she stomped off to take a long, hot bath. Harry had to then pull himself out of his make shift bed of worn through blankets, get dressed in his clothes that were five times his size and so worn out that the local thrift shop wouldn't even take them to get breakfast started before his aunt, or worse, his uncle came back downstairs.

Stretching and yawning Harry rolled over, snuggled further under his blanket, and pulled the pillow over his head. "Too early," he muttered. "Five more minutes."

Minerva couldn't help a small smile as she began undoing the cocoon Harry had made around himself. She had a feeling that he had been up with Remus pretty late last night. Normally she would have checked to make sure he was asleep on time, but she had let it slide because of Remus's visit.

"I'm sorry Harry, you need to get up now so you can eat breakfast and help Albus and I get everything together so we can be at the transportation center in two hours. We have to be there an hour before the portkey is scheduled to leave so we can finish the registration process and check in." Minerva's voice was still soft and she continued gently shaking Harry's shoulder with one hand and patting his back with the other. Their portkey left the transportation center at 10 and would take them to Florida in the United States. They would then have to take the American Knight Bus for an hour long trip to Ft. Lauderdale arriving at the ship dock at 6 giving them an hour to get everything situated before the actual cruise began.

Harry just groaned as he peeked out at a very fuzzy Minerva. He fumbled on his bedside table for a moment until he found his glasses, and then pushed them on his face before sitting up still looking absolutely exhausted. "Minerva," he moaned stretching his arms high above his head before face planting into his pillow again. "I'm tired."

"Yes well next time I'll remember that and make sure you actually go to bed on time instead of letting you talk to your guest all hours of the night," Minerva stated with a smile. "Now get up, make your bed, and get ready for the day. Albus and I will be expecting you in the kitchen in 20 minutes."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry muttered into his pillow as he waved his hand to shoo Minerva away.

"Watch the cheek little monster," Minerva stated landing a single swat on the dark haired child's posterior before walking out of the room.

When Minerva's hand made contact with his rear end Harry yelped and jumped, then placed a hand protectively over his bottom as he glared at a retreating Minerva. Honestly, the meddlesome witch. It hadn't been hard, but it had definitely shocked him awake. Groaning once more Harry swung his feet over the edge of the bed and stretched a little more.

Harry leisurely took all 20 minutes given him to get ready, but as he walked out of his room to join Albus and Minerva, he was still fighting to control his wild mop of hair. "Morning," he muttered as he tried once more to flatten it using the palm of his hand.

"Good morning Harry my boy," Albus stated jovially as he handed Harry four plates to set the table with. Remus was going to join them for breakfast and then head off to his own place.

"Don't bother Harry," Remus's own voice sounded from behind the pantry door. "James tried again and again to get his hair to lay flat, but it was no use. He even used a sticking charm on his first date with Lily. Sirius, Peter, and I laughed so hard we fell off the bed because it looked like he had glued hair to his head and it took him forever to get the sticking charm off so it would look halfway presentable for Lily."

Harry didn't even bother asking how Remus knew he had been trying to flatten his hair when he had been hiding behind a cabinet door. He just grumbled to himself as he set the plates on the table and moved to get silverware and glasses before Minerva came with a pitcher of ice cold pumpkin juice and a platter of piping hot chocolate chip pancakes.

Harry finished setting the table, sat down, and Remus came out of the pantry holding the butter dish and syrup dispenser. Harry made no effort to stifle a yawn as he took a good look at Remus. He looked completely awake and ready for the day even though he had been up as late as Harry, and obviously gotten up earlier. "Are you mortal?" Harry managed to ask through another yawn.

Remus just laughed as he sat down in a vacant chair next to Harry. "Yes, but I'm also used to staying up late. I'd elaborate but Minerva is still unaware of how late your father and I used to stay up in our dormitories." He flashed Minerva a cheeky smile as she set some hot sausages down before taking her own seat.

"Oh, I am perfectly aware that you and your delinquent friends were up all hours of the night to pull off your abominable stunts Remus John Lupin. I seem to remember catching you at it a time or two myself." Minerva fought to keep her voice stern, but Remus just smiled, and Albus chuckled slightly as he joined the three at the table with a hot kettle of tea.

"Delinquent is such a strong word Minerva." Remus stated with a smile before helping himself to a stack of pancakes that he quickly drenched in strawberry syrup. "We managed to graduate Hogwarts with decent marks; James even as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain."

"Yes, that is one position of authority I will never understand." At that Minerva shot a sharp look at Albus who appeared to not notice, but instead hummed to himself as he sipped his cup of tea.

Now that Harry was more awake, the excitement of the awaiting vacation was fully sinking in once more. He had never been on a cruise ship before, couldn't even imagine it, and he couldn't wait to try it all out.

"Harry, please stop bouncing like a hyper bunny rabbit," Minerva's tone was waspish and she placed a hand to her head gently, both to try to soothe her increasing headache, and to try and get control on her patience. "We'll be leaving soon enough."

"Sorry Minerva," Harry couldn't help but smile, but he did sit down in the leather recliner to try and control some of his energy and stay out of the way since he was all packed up and ready to go. It was close to nine, and Minerva and Albus were attempting to get everything completely together so they could leave.

When everything was finally squared away, Albus flicked his wand at the baggage they would be taking with them, and just like that first day in Harry's room on Privet Drive, it vanished. "Alright, I have sent our luggage ahead, and it is waiting for us at the Transportation station. Now we just have to get ourselves there."

"Yay!" Harry couldn't control it anymore and began bouncing up and down again before a look from Minerva stilled him.

"Go ahead of Minerva and I in the floo Harry," Albus's voice showed his amusement as he handed Harry the container of floo powder. "The place you are going to is 'London Transit Center,' and remember to speak clearly. We don't want you spending your Christmas holiday lost somewhere instead of on the cruise ship with us." Albus's blue eyes twinkled and he ignored Minerva's glare.

"I'll speak clear Albus," Harry assured him as he took a handful of the sparkling powder and threw it into the fire. The flame instantly turned green and he stepped inside allowing the warm flames to brush his skin. "London Transit Center."

No sooner had Harry spoken the words than he was zoomed out of the sight of the Dumbledore living room and stumbled into a noisy brick building. There were witches and wizards everywhere, pulling young children by the hand, or shouting at older children to hurry up or wait for them. Harry had never been to a muggle airport, but he assumed this was what it must be like. There were signs showing different stations leaving to various parts of the world, as well as signs pointing to places like the food court, check in, luggage, and restrooms. Harry's head spun as he tried to take it all in, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Albus placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We best get to the check in Harry so we can get our tickets registered." With that he began leading the way to a counter with a long line.

"Albus, why do they have a food court here?" Harry asked curiously. "Isn't portkeying almost instantaneous? And the floo is also quick. You could get either home or to your destination really quickly."

"Ah, you are correct there Harry, but some families feel it best to grab a bite to eat here at the transit center rather than cooking at home right before or right after a long trip, and if this isn't your only stop, like for us, it can come in handy as well. Our ride on the American Night Bus will be relatively short, but some are much longer. Not only is food not served on the night bus, but many witches and wizards would prefer not to even think of eating while riding it."

"Oh," was Harry's simple response as Minerva joined them in the line.

It took a while to get all three of their tickets processed, and make sure their luggage would be waiting for them in the American Transit Center. By the time they were allowed to head for their portkey gate they only had 20 minutes before it took off. It took another 10 minutes to maneuver their way through the crowd of people to the correct gate, and Harry thought that the remaining 10 minutes was absolute agony.

When the time finally arrived for departure, a travel instructor asked everyone on this trip to gather around something that looked like a hand rail on a public bus. It was a long metal rail with a loop for each traveler to hang onto. The instructor then explained that everyone needed to grab ahold of a loop. For young children that might let go, the parents had been issued a small wrist leash. The instructor then made sure that one end of the leash was attached to the child's wrist, and the other end was attached to the portkey rail. He used his wand to tap the end connected to the rail to magically secure the leash so it would not leave the child behind. The instructor then made his way to the front of the rail and instructed everyone not strapped to the rail to hold on tightly until they had safely landed in the American Transit Center in Florida. He then counted down from five, and when he reached one, Harry lurched as he felt a pull behind his navel.

Harry knew that the trip was going to be quick, but he was even quicker in deciding that he really didn't care for traveling by portkey. Actually, it was his least favorite form of magical travel so far, and that was saying something since the floo still made him feel like he was going to choke on ashes and cut his elbows off as he spun around and around. This didn't make him dizzy like the floo, but it was not comfortable by any stretch of the imagination either.

The portkey travel time was approximately 90 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity to Harry, and when they finally landed in Florida, the only thing that kept him from falling face first into Minerva was the death grip he had established on the loop he had been holding.

Looking around, it seemed Harry wasn't alone in his dislike of their method of travel. Several of the young children had started crying, and parents were wobbling a bit as they tried to catch their balance once more. Some had also not gotten quite a good enough grip on the hand loop, and actually did fall forward, but Harry was amazed that some people seemed completely unfazed by the abrupt landing. Shaking his head Harry let go of his hand loop, wiped his sweating, trembling palm on his jeans, and stepped as far away from the portkey rail as he could without leaving Minerva's and Albus's sides.

"Well that was interesting," Albus stated with a smile as he straightened his royal purple shirt. They had all dressed in muggle attire since they would be getting on a muggle cruise ship, but Albus had seen no need to tone his color preference down and wore a short sleeve button down shirt in royal purple, and some tan cargo shorts that looked like he himself had painted some large purple flowers on.

"Speak for yourself Albus," Minerva tentatively let go of her hand loop and placed a hand to her forehead again as she closed her eyes to try and regain her balance. Like Albus, she was also in muggle attire, but she still looked like Minerva. She was wearing an emerald green, full sleeve blouse, and a black pencil skirt with black flats. Her hair was once more in its perfect bun, and Harry thought she looked more like she was going to a business conference than a vacation on a cruise ship.

"Yeah," Harry agreed with Minerva. "That is definitely not my favorite way to travel." Harry wasn't wobbling anymore, but he didn't trust his legs to let him move very far without stumbling. "A broom may take longer, but I'd take that any day."

"Oh it's all in the name of adventure." Albus placed a steadying hand on both Harry's, and Minerva's shoulders as he led them towards the gate's exit.

"I would think you would be ready to leave the adventure to the younger generation Albus," Minerva stated simply.

"But if you give up on the spirit of adventure, life becomes dreadfully dull my dear Minerva. We can't go letting the young ones have all the fun. Besides, they have to learn it from somewhere, so it is our duty to continue on for their education." Albus's words spoke of endless energy, but Harry thought he could detect a hint of weariness in his tone, even though the old man's face gave nothing away.

Both Minerva and Harry decided to remain silent and not encourage Albus any further as they made their way out of the portkey gate and towards the luggage pick-up. Since they wouldn't actually be going into the muggle world quite yet, Albus and Minerva used their wands to levitate the luggage ahead of them as they left the transit center to wait for the Knight Bus.

Harry may have managed to keep from falling over when the portkey had landed, but as a purple triple decker bus hurled toward them he tripped over an untied trainer lace as he jumped backward, and fell hard on his bottom, scraping up the palms of his hands. Ignoring the shooting pain through his hands, Harry stared wide eyed and open jawed at the bus in front of him. It seemed impossible that the bus could be that large, and even more miraculous was that a moment ago it had been nowhere in sight, but now the door was opening to allow them entrance, and a guide was ready to greet them.

"Fantastic! We match," replied Albus merrily as he took Harry's hand to help him back to his feet. It took a moment for Harry to understand what the old man was talking about, but then he realized that the purple of the bus, and the guide's uniform, was the same royal purple as Albus's shirt and flowers. Realizing this Harry just shook his head stunned as he followed Minerva up the stairs.

It may have been mid-morning when they left London, but here in Florida it was only about 5 in the morning and was still pitch black outside seeing as it was the middle of December. Another major difference however was the weather. While it had been gently snowing in London, there was absolutely no snow in sight here. Seeing as the sun hadn't even shown up yet, the air was still brisk, but Harry could see that Albus's wardrobe choice was no long completely out of context. As long as you factored out the color choice and painted on flowers of course.

Inside the bus was no less astounding than the outside. Instead of benches or seats like on a normal muggle bus, there were beds. Only a few of the beds were occupied, and the state of the residents varied greatly. Some were fast asleep, while others sat in bed looking like they desperately wanted to reach their destination; seeing this made Harry hesitate as he was led to an empty bed. He would have felt reassured when Albus lied in a bed beside him, but Minerva sitting on the other side of him looking determined not to throw up made Harry think they were in for another rough ride, and this one would be awhile.

The bus needed only to close its door before Harry decided that traveling by floo powder wasn't all that bad after all. He had decided to follow Albus's example and relax by lying in the bed, but when the bus started moving at a breakneck speed, he was almost thrown from his bed completely. Quickly grabbing hold of a rail to keep from having his nose rammed into the floor, Harry forced himself into a sitting position.

"I know it's not the most comfortable travel accommodations Harry, but it will only be for a little while." Minerva's voice was kind, but Harry could hear something in her voice that made him think that she too feared for her life. "Since you are underage, and we are going to a muggle place, it really is the best way though. Side along apparition isn't recommended for even the simplest of traveling, and it isn't very comfortable either. As for traveling clear across an ocean like this, it's also not the safest. Too many things can go wrong."

Harry didn't bother asking what side along apparition is. He had learned that apparition was when a legal witch or wizard turned and disappeared from one place, only to appear almost instantly in another. Harry had found it cool, but lost interest when he realized he wouldn't even be introduced to it until 6th year, and he wouldn't be able to actually do it until he turned 17.

The bus ride seemed to take forever, and when they finally reached their destination Harry hoped desperately that he would never have to ride the Knight Bus again. Somewhere in the back of his brain he realized this was foolishness since he would have to ride it to get back to England, but that was a matter for another time. For right now he could focus on the fact that before him stood a giant ship. Several people were already on the dock loading their luggage and getting checked into their cabins. Harry, Albus, and Minerva joined the flock of people, and waited patiently for a crew member to assist them.

Once they were all squared away in their assigned cabin for the 10 days, the Dumbledore family sat on their cots, finally able to rest for a moment. Even Albus, who had seemed to halfway enjoy the travel here, couldn't help but look relieved to finally be able to rest for a moment. As much as he hated to admit it, Albus was an old man, and was not able to run around without a care in the world anymore. Without suffering the side effects of exhaustion at the very least.

Even with his late night with Remus, Harry was the first to recover and was anxious to explore. After seeking permission from Albus and Minerva, and promising to meet them at the buffet for lunch, he scampered off to see what he could find aboard the ship. Harry was ecstatic to find that another family was also enjoying the cruise this Christmas, and they also had children. The 6 year old boy and 9 year old girl didn't pose too much interest, but when he found that they also had a 12 year old boy, Harry could have leaped for joy. To make matters even better, here he was just Harry. There was no Dudley that would bully anyone for trying to play with Harry, and there was no Wizarding Savior prophecy hanging over his head that made everyone treat him like something that should be worshiped. No, here he was a normal boy that could run and play without a care in the world. Except for remembering to meet Albus and Minerva for lunch of course.

Harry and his new friend, Daniel, spent the entire morning checking out the activities aboard the ship. Neither Harry, nor Joshua knew the extent of their family plans for this trip, but vowed to spend time together as well. Just before lunch, Harry gave Daniel his cabin number before hurrying off to the buffet the boys had located earlier in the morning. Upon seeing Albus and Minerva already waiting for him, Harry bounded over instantly with a large smile plastered on his face.

"This ship is so cool!" Harry bubbled out excitedly. Albus beamed at the boy as he handed him a plate. Minerva however gave a sort of grimace that she tried to force into a smile. "They have so many neat things here, and I can't wait to explore it with my new friend Daniel. His family is also on vacation for Christmas. He's 12 and has a little brother and sister. Daniel wants to do everything, and I told him I'd do it too. Is that ok? I mean I know we're here as a family, but I can have some time to play with my friend right?" Harry knew that he was babbling now, and only bit his lip when he saw Minerva place a tired hand to her head.

"Harry, please slow down for a moment," she muttered as she filled her plate with a simple salad not even sure she could stomach that.

"Of course you will have time to play with your new friend Harry," Dumbledore stated with his normal smile filling his plate with everything in site. "We are here on vacation after all. Yes we will do some things together, but I dare say that if we are connected at the hip the entire time we'll be ready for a vacation from each other long before the end of the cruise. Especially if Minerva doesn't manage to find her sea legs soon."

**Author's Note: I know many of you have probably given up on this story, and I'm sorry. I have had some major writers block, then I got pregnant and had my little girl in April, and then moved, and I've just been crazy busy lately. I haven't given this chapter to my editor, so I'm sorry for any mistakes in it. I have worked hard to finish this chapter thanks to the reviews I have continued to get despite how long it has been since my last update.**

**Also, I have never been on a cruise. So any ideas on what Harry and Daniel could do on the ship would be highly appreciated. As well as ideas for the Dumbledore family. I am kind of severely stuck right now but I will try my best to update soon.**

**~Lily**


	19. Taking Off

Chapter 19: Taking Off

Harry felt bad for Minerva, he really did. When Albus had stated that they were going on a cruise for Christmas, Harry had been more than a little nervous given the fact that he had never taken swimming lessons, and had this been with the Dursley's, Dudley would have found it hilarious to have pushed Harry overboard to watch him struggle. Harry had read somewhere that fat floats, and since he didn't have an ounce of fat on him, thanks to Dudley, he would instantly sink like a rock.

Now that he was on the ship however, Harry was having the time of his life. This was from any vacation he had ever been on with the Dursley's. Instead of being locked in the cabin the entire time and fed only scraps that the Dursley's managed to bring back from the dining area, Harry was instead encouraged to spend as much time out and about as possible, and even got to attend the buffet himself and eat what he wanted.

Minerva on the other hand, wasn't faring as well. She hadn't even been able to keep down the light salad she had forced down at lunch. Instead she had been forced to empty the contents of her stomach as soon as they had gotten back to their cabin, and was now reduced to sipping little bits of any fluid she could stand the taste of just to keep herself hydrated. A stomach relieving potion had managed to take the edge off of her misery, but nothing seemed to fix being sea sick. Deciding to let her rest for the day and try to her sea legs, Albus turned Harry loose to play with his new friend Daniel.

Harry felt incredibly strange as he stood outside the door to Daniel's cabin. He had never had a friend before Hogwarts; Dudley had made sure of that. Anybody that had so much as looked at 'that strange Harry Potter,' let alone talked to him, wound up on Dudley's gang's hit list. Since Dudley's gang were the biggest boys in school, nobody really wanted to mess with them, and therefore tended to just stay clear of them, and anybody they had shunned. At Hogwarts he didn't exactly have that problem since Ron, Hermione, and Neville were the best friends he could hope for, but he didn't need to go knocking at their door asking if they could play. For one, Ron and Neville both shared a room with him, and they were able to hang out and talk anytime they wanted. Hermione, they just arranged to meet in the Common Room or Library.

Now Harry felt incredibly shaky as he raised his hand to knock on Daniel's cabin door. He was most likely going to have to talk to Daniel's parents. If not now, then it was certain to come up later on the trip if he continued to hang out with Daniel, and meeting adults wasn't exactly something Harry was entirely comfortable with. Yes Harry had grown comfortable around Albus and Minerva, but not everybody was like them. Neville's Gran hadn't exactly been friendly, and he had no idea what Ron's and Hermione's parents were like, but if the angry letters both of his friends had received after the troll incident were any indication, they weren't exactly cheerful people either. Of course, Albus and Minerva had also told Harry off for that particular stunt so he knew he couldn't go off that alone. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if all adults were intimidating like his aunt and uncle and Neville's Gran.

Taking a deep breath, Harry let his fist connect with the center of the door a couple of times before quickly withdrawing it to his side and holding his breath while he waited for it to open. He didn't have to wait long because a Daniel's little sister Rebecca answered the door after only 30 seconds, and Harry hoped she couldn't hear his heart pounding in his chest.

"Oh, hi," she stated with a bright smile. She had thick, dark brown hair that hung in waves clear down to her waist, and chocolate brown eyes that smiled when she did, and they helped Harry relax just a little bit.

"Hey Becca, I was wondering if Daniel could play." Even feeling calmer thanks to her cheerfulness, Harry couldn't help but stare at his feet as he spoke. He knew that if Minerva had been here she would have instantly poked him in the side to remember his manners, so he quickly forced himself to look up.

"Who is it Becca?" called an older female voice from inside the cabin. Harry couldn't help but scuff his shoe on the deck as a woman with the same dark brown hair and eyes as Becca stepped forward.

"Oh, uh, I'm Harry," he just managed to mumble out looking at the deck below him once more. "I met Daniel earlier and just wondered if he could play again." It sounded lame, but he didn't know what else to say. Thankfully Daniel appeared beside his mother and sister with a bright smile. Unlike the girls, Daniel's hair was a softer brown, but they chocolate brown eyes ran strong in all three.

"Hiya Harry," he stated with a hearty wave that gave Harry a bit of courage.

"Hey Daniel," Harry greeted with his first comfortable smile since showing up at the cabin door. "Minerva isn't feeling good so Albus turned me loose for the afternoon and I just wondered if you could play."

"Ah, Harry, Daniel told us about you," the woman stated with a smile and beckoned him inside and Harry tentatively obeyed. "I'm Daniel's mother Mrs. Erikson. I'm sorry, but we were all getting ready to go do some activities together."

"Can Harry join us mom?" Daniel begged quickly making Harry's eyes go wide. He wasn't sure he was up to spending time alone with the entire Erikson family.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I wouldn't want to intrude," Harry stammered backing toward the door again. "I can just go play by myself. Or see what Albus is up to. I'm sure Minerva has ordered him to just leave her alone." This brought a small smile back to Harry's face as he pictured Minerva shouting at Albus to go explore the ship he wanted so badly to get on to and let her rest.

"Why don't you go find Albus and join us," Daniel suggested determined to get his new friend to join them.

"Daniel," Mrs. Erikson said with a shake of her head. She held a smile though, and glanced once more at Harry. "Pardon my son's manners Harry. Sometimes he really doesn't know what he's doing." This made Harry's heart sink. He had no reason to have been invited to join the Erikson family, but being told it personally kind of stung.

"Oh it's alright Mrs. Erikson," Harry stated with a forced smile. He was back out in the hallway and feeling a lot more comfortable.

"If you would like to join us though, you are more than welcome to," Mrs. Erikson stated with a smile that made Harry's heart jump. "We can also look for Albus while we are out looking for Mr. Erikson and my other son, Joshua."

"Oh, say you'll come Harry," Daniel begged. "It will be loads more fun with you around."

"You won't get him to shut up and leave you alone if you don't," Becca stated shaking her head. "Mum says he's the oldest, but you wouldn't guess it with how he acts sometimes." At this Daniel stuck his tongue out at his sister and Becca just laughed. "See what I mean?"

Harry couldn't help but smile at the sibling banter. He might have grown up with another boy his age in the house, but Dudley had never been his 'sibling.' "Well, if it really wouldn't be any trouble, I guess we can try to find Albus and we can join you." Harry stated slowly, and then laughed slightly when Daniel fist pumped the air.

"Alright, well then I guess we will all head out," Mrs. Erikson stated shooing her two oldest children out the cabin door.

They found Joshua and Mr. Erikson first, but then decided to spend a little longer to see if they could invite Albus. When Harry pointed him out before running up to him, all 5 Eriksons could only stare. Albus was the strangest looking person they had ever seen, and that was with living in the heart of Miami Florida.

"That's your dad?" Daniel asked as the family approached Harry and the old man. Mr. Erikson squeezed his son's shoulder firmly to remind him of his manners, and Daniel instantly shut up.

"How old are you?" piped up little Joshua instantly making Mr. Erikson's free hand shoot out to squeeze the shoulder of his other son.

"You'll have to forgive my boys here," Mr. Erikson stated calmly releasing Daniel to offer his hand to Albus. "We're working on impulse control, and as you can see, we have a long way to go."

Albus could only chuckle as he shook the man's hand. "It's alright my dear boy, I work at a school full of children, so very little shocks me these days. As for how old I am," he stated winking at Joshua, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Joshua's little eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head, and Albus offered his hand to Mrs. Erikson. "I'm sure that young Harry here as told you, but I'm Albus Dumbledore, Harry's guardian."

"Emily and Samuel Erikson," Mrs. Erikson stated motioning between herself and her husband before shaking Albus's hand quickly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Albus," Mr. Erikson stated. "Our Daniel and your Harry sure seem to have hit it off, and we were wondering if the two of you would like to join us in some of the ships activities?"

"Oh we would love to join you," Albus's smile grew wider. None of the three Erikson children had managed to look away from him, so he turned his attention to them. "What are we starting with children?"

"Bowling!"

"Basketball!"

"Game room!"

There were instantly three different answers as each child shouted out what they wanted to do first, and both Mr. and Mrs. Erikson shook their heads. "Daniel, we already established that the game room would be left for individual time since most of it is electronic and we are looking at spending quality time together, not quantity time."

"Guess that leaves either bowling or basketball," Albus stated with a smirk. "What do you think Harry?"

"Well, I've never been bowling before," Harry stated hesitantly not exactly liking that he was a tie breaker.

"Bowling it is then," Mr. Erikson stated cheerfully while Becca wooped with joy and Daniel looked at Harry like he'd grown a second head.

"You've never been bowling before? What the heck to kids do for fun in England?" Daniel and Harry brought up the rear as the group made their way to the ship's bowling alley, and Harry scuffed his shoe on the deck as he walked.

"Well, normally kids _do_ go bowling sometimes, but where I lived before I moved in with Albus and Minerva I wasn't really allowed to have fun." How did you explain something like this to someone else?

"Wait, so Albus isn't your dad?" Daniel was looking totally lost, and Harry cracked a smile and shook his head.

"No way, he's like over a hundred years old," he replied hoping Daniel would think he was exaggerating since most muggles didn't make it to a hundred, let alone well past it like Dumbledore. "And Minerva is not much younger. Nah, they just became my guardians this past summer when the school found out that my Aunt and Uncle just neglected me." Now he was repeating technological terms that he had heard Albus and Minerva use since he wasn't exactly sure what to call how the Dursley's had treated him.

"Why don't you live with your folks?" Daniel pressed looking like it was unbelievable that Harry would even need to live with his aunt and uncle.

"Th-they're dead," Harry all but whispered as he looked at the floor. "They were murdered when I was just a baby."

"Oh." Daniel seemed to sense that Harry wasn't comfortable talking about this anymore, so decided to change the subject. "Look, there is a free bowling lane. Now we just have to go get our bowling shoes and balls."

"Alright," Harry stated glad for a friend perceptive enough to change the subject. Ron would have tried to pry and get all of the details. He loved Ron, but he was glad for Hermione and Neville who were able to shut him up when he started letting his mouth get away from him.

Since the Erikson children were getting help from their parents, Harry gladly joined Albus. "Have you ever been bowling before Albus?"

"Not in my life my dear boy," Albus stated cheerfully before walking up to the shoe counter and asking the clerk if he had any purple shoes in a size 10. The clerk just raised an eyebrow as he went to look, but Becca burst into a fit of giggles.

"Why do you like purple so much?" she inquired. "It's supposed to be a girl color."

"Really now?" Albus asked looking absolutely enthralled by her comment. "How are you able to tell the gender of different colors? That is quite a remarkable skill." This sent Becca into another fit of giggles as the clerk came back with some orange shoes.

"I'm afraid we don't have any purple sir, but here are some with purple laces if you like." Albus took the shoes and the clerk took Harry's shoe size before coming back with a pair for him.

"I mean, that purple is supposed to be what girls wear," Becca continued her argument once she managed to stop giggling. "Girls like pink and purple, and boys like blue and red. Boys also aren't supposed to wear flowers." She pointed at his cargo shorts as she stated this last part.

"That is quite enough Rebecca," Mrs. Erikson stated firmly. "Mr. Dumbledore is entitled to wear whatever he likes. May I remind you that girls your age usually skip rope but you refuse to join your friends in that particular activity?"

"Nothing happens when you skip rope," Becca complained. "You just jump in place while those around you try and trip you as they chant some stupid rhyme."

"Well, perhaps Mr. Dumbledore feels the same way about things that are supposed to be for boys."

"Please, call me Albus," Albus broke in. "And I really don't mind her questions. I know that I'm a little eccentric. I have lost track of how many people have told me that over the years. As for an answer, I like to be different Becca. Where's the fun in blending in with the crowd?" This seemed to satisfy her, and the group moved to get bowling balls, and then go to their assigned lane to start their game.

Harry thoroughly enjoyed bowling with Albus and the Eriksons. His first try he felt incredibly stupid as he watched his ball go into the gutter both times. He was then highly entertained to watch Albus accidentally bounce his ball out of their lane and get a strike for someone in the next lane over. The startled looks the other players gave him just made Albus grin while Becca and Daniel doubled over with laughter and Mr. Erikson stepped behind Albus to try and show him how to control the ball as he threw it.

When Albus finished his first turn by knocking down a total of 1 pin, the Erikson family suggested they put the bumpers up. Becca and Josh both readily agreed, but Daniel looked a bit put out as if having bumpers was an insult to him. Daniel quickly forgot that idea however because when Albus's turn came around again, he made a game of seeing how many times he could bounce the bowling ball from one bumper to the other as it made its way down the lane. All four children soon took part in the game as well, and instead of knocking down the most pins, the challenge soon became to bounce the ball the most.

After two games in the bowling alley, everyone decided that they had had enough family time, and the children were permitted to go play on their own once more while the adults rested and tried to actually enjoy their vacation.

While Albus and Harry enjoyed themselves in the bowling alley, Minerva couldn't have been more miserable. She'd ordered a bowl of chicken soup, determined to get something nutritious in her system, and after sipping at that for a while, decided to lay down and try to nap off some of this infernal sea sickness. She was getting quite annoyed that magic was proving useless to her at this point, and found herself wishing desperately to land in their first port just to get a small bit of reprieve. She wasn't positive she would make it to the next morning when they were scheduled to stay docked in Nassau in the Bahamas for 7 hours. In her opinion, that wasn't near long enough; especially if she was going to have to get back on the boat and then spend the entire afternoon dealing with sea sickness once again.

**Author's Note: I know this chapter is kinda short and it took over a month to get it to you, and I'm sorry. I wanted to update here so that nobody tried to hunt me down and cruciate me for updating my other story so much and abandoning this one. I'm still kinda lost as to what to do on a cruise, but I have done some research and next chapter you will see the Dumbledore family explore Nassau Bahamas. I plan on taking an entire chapter to write about their adventures there, as well as how Dumbledore takes to shuffleboard and horse shoes. On that note, I hope you enjoyed Albus's bowling experience**

**~Lily**


	20. Foreign Lands

Chapter 20: Foreign Lands

After dinner that first evening, the Eriksons decided to spend the rest of the evening just as a family, and Albus decided he needed to rest. With all the excitement that had been going on, Harry decided that that sounded like a pretty good idea, and that he could hang out in the cabin for a while and just chill.

When you're 11 years old, 'chilling' doesn't last long, especially when you're alone. Albus was busy working under a stack of paperwork that only fit in his muggle suitcase by magic, and Minerva had managed to drift off into an uneasy sleep which was the only time she was able to get any relief from her sea sickness. This left Harry to his own devices, so he decided to write to Neville, Ron, and Hermione.

He had promised Hermione that he would write about the wedding, though why she would care was beyond him since he had told her time and time again that it would just be a very simple thing taking place quietly in the Dumbledores' own back yard. She had insisted however, and Harry had decided it must be a girl thing since both Neville and Ron were only interested in the cruise.

While he wrote, he dug into the stash of candy Albus always had on hand and bit into a chocolate frog. He had never actually written a letter before, so while he mulled over what exactly to say, he decided to read the back of his chocolate card frog even though he was pretty certain that some little piece of cardstock wouldn't tell him much about the man he had been living with for nearly five months, especially since he already had a Dumbledore chocolate frog card. When he read _'Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling'_ however, he frowned.

"Albus?" he questioned hesitantly. For 10 years it had been drilled into his head to not ask questions, and to leave his relatives alone when they were busy. So to ask a question when Albus was busy was still slightly nerve wracking.

"Hmm?" was the only response Albus gave, so Harry gathered his Gryffindor courage and spoke up.

"This afternoon you said you had never been bowling, but your chocolate frog card says you enjoy tenpin bowling." The dark haired child waved the card in the air as demonstration while he spoke.

"Ah, yes," Albus smiled as he looked up. "I rather do enjoy the sport, but it is also interesting to twist the game around, and that doesn't happen much if the people you play with know that you usually score over 200."

Harry just shook his head deciding that no comment would be the best course of action since what Albus had told Becca was entirely true. He really was eccentric.

The next morning dawned early for the Dumbledore family since the ship docked in the Bahamas at seven and they only had until two to explore. Minerva was anxious to spend every moment she could off the dratted ship, and as a result, she, Albus, and Harry were the first ones on land that morning.

"Alright, the very first thing we're going to do in each port is check out the Visitor's Center," Minerva declared hoping desperately that her stomach would settle now that she wasn't being rocked constantly.

Albus and Harry allowed Minerva her visit to the Nassau Visitor's Center. Albus had watched the girl grow up, and he knew very well that she ached for new information, so learning about the new lands they would be exploring would be a great adventure for her. Well worth the agony of being sick while at sea.

Harry also enjoyed the Visitor's Center. One of the biggest disappointments he had faced after starting Hogwarts had been his History of Magic class. He had always found History very interesting in his muggle primary school, and had been excited to learn about Magical History. With Professor Binns however, it was his most dreaded class. And that was with Professor Snape billowing around the dungeon in a foul mood every week.

Now he was able to make up for that disappointment however as he learned about a land half way around the world. It might not be from the magical world, but for an eleven year old boy that had only known Surrey, it was just as magical at Hogwarts.

"Can you imagine the entire colony being burnt to the ground?" Harry asked with wide eyes as he looked around the visitor's center.

"It took them ten years to rebuild it, but even then it was relatively unpopulated." Minerva was just as fascinated, and Albus was amused to see Harry so full of wonder. It hurt him deeply to think of all he had missed out on because of the Dursleys' cruel neglect.

"I know!" Harry stated starting to bounce on his feet as they moved to a display case. "That makes it even more interesting because it was inhabited by pirates!"

Minerva rolled her eyes but smiled. "Leave it to an eleven year old boy to be fascinated by pirates."

"Hey, it wasn't just boy pirates, it says here that there were girl pirates too," the boy responded pointing at a plaque.

"Well I would hope so," Albus stepped in glancing at Minerva. "If Min had lived in the 18th century I'm sure she would have been a pirate leader with her spirit for adventure. She'd make an even greater leader since she'd always be grumpy because of her seasickness." He said this last part with a wink toward Harry, and the adolescent delved into uncontrollable giggles as Minerva glared at Albus.

"If the two of you are quite finished, I would suggest that we get started on actually experiencing the adventures of the area, rather than standing here all day reading about them."

"Can we go visit Blackbeard's Cay?" Harry asked bouncing up and down once more, but stopped at the look on Minerva's face.

"The cruise information guide said that that's on a private island, and I really don't feel like getting back into a boat. My stomach is just starting to feel better for the first time since we took off yesterday."

"I guess that also scratches out the idea of an underwater tour," Albus stated, and Minerva groaned.

"I _definitely_ don't feel like getting in a boat with a glass bottom to look at the sea beneath."

Harry couldn't help but pout at this declaration, and sighed. "Kay, so we're surrounded by water, and boats are off limits. What else is there that we can do?"

"We could go see the dolphins," Minerva stated simply, and laughed at the face Harry pulled. "It would be fun. It says here that you could actually get into the water with them and pet them. Or even feed them."

"Then there is the Pirates of Nassau Museum. Too bad the peg legs and eye patches aren't included." Minerva shook her head as Albus closed his left eye and lifted his right foot to hop around for a moment.

"You would also need a hook for a hand Albus." Harry began laughing hard as Albus tried to stand still on just one leg and curled his right hand into fist with the index finger extended but curled into a hook shape. "Yeah, that would be fun to see. So would the Predator Lagoon. You might not be able to get into the water with them, but seeing sharks and barracudas would be more interesting than dolphins."

Minerva rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. "What is wrong with dolphins?"

"They're for girls," Harry stated simply, and Minerva just shook her head and followed as the boys led the way out of the Visitor's Center.

It didn't take the Dumbledore family long to find the Eriksons once they reached the Pirate museum.

"With two boys, it was definitely inevitable that we would end up here," Emily had stated with a smile. Harry was absolutely thrilled to be able to look around the museum with Daniel, and they had fun scaring the daylights out of Becca when they both chased after her on a 'pirate raid.' Their fun was abruptly ended however when Mrs. Erikson cuffed Daniel's ear for teasing his sister.

When they left the museum, Harry was sad to part with Daniel, but they were headed to Blackbeard's cay, and Minerva still hadn't changed her mind about climbing into a boat before she absolutely had to. Instead they headed off to look at the Predators of the sea where Harry soon forgot about his friend as he got a shark tooth necklace as a souvenir.

"You should also be on the lookout for something for each of your friends." Minerva had prompted. "Course, you've also got 2 other ports and several places at each port, so don't feel rushed. But a post card from each port would be nice."

"Yeah, it would!" Harry agreed. He had successfully written to Hermione about the wedding, but he'd been at a loss as to what to tell the boys. He'd tried to explain their 'bowling' adventure, but since neither of them was likely to know much about the muggle activity, he doubted they would fully understand. Of course this entire trip was just one muggle activity with more of them intertwined together.

Minerva relented about her 'over the water' aversion enough to have lunch in a restaurant that was built over a giant sea life area with a glass floor. Harry was fascinated to see the different fish swim around his feet, and wound up being scolded by Minerva to eat the crab legs he had ordered.

He wasn't sure exactly what to think of sea food. The Dursley's had never even let him taste it since it was only something they ate when they went out to special dinners, and at those times Harry was always pawned off on Mrs. Figg. The crab legs required a lot of work to get just a little bit of meat out of them, and the shrimp he had ordered was a bit too slimy for his taste. When Albus let him taste his breaded shrimp however, Harry decided that that was much better.

"It's really warm out," Harry declared as he pushed back his chair after finishing his meal. And it was warm. It was just before Christmas, but it was 25.5˚ (78 F) out, and since he was used to the winter Scotland had brought to Hogwarts, he felt like he was roasting already. "We should do something cool."

"Visiting the dolphins would be nice and cool." Harry groaned when it was Albus that suggested it this time. "As Minerva pointed out, you can actually get in the water with them.

Harry finally relented, deciding he could probably find a souvenir for Hermione, and the group paid the lunch tab before trudging off to the dolphin cay.

Visiting the dolphins turned out to be a lot more exciting than Harry had anticipated. The dolphins might not be man eating sharks, but he had to admit it was pretty interesting to be able to swim right beside such large creatures. He also _did_ find Hermione's souvenir at the gift shop. It was a little bracelet with miniature dolphin charms dangling all around it. It was available in both gold and silver, and Harry went with gold since that was a Gryffindor color while silver symbolized Slytherin.

Another bonus came when the Eriksons showed up. Harry smiled in delight at seeing Daniel, and just laughed at the look of disgust on his face. "Josh chose the museum and I chose Blackbeard's Cay, so Becca got to choose the stupid dolphins," the other boy explained.

"How was Blackbeard's Cay?" Harry asked excited, deciding not to comment on the dolphin comment since he hadn't wanted to come here either.

"It was alright," Daniel shrugged. "It was mostly just some beach. I thought it was going to be Blackbeard's personal hideout."

Harry nodded in response as he frowned. "That would have been pretty awesome, but the cruise info guide talks about the stingray adventure. Did you at least do that?"

"Oh yeah!" Daniel said growing completely excited again. "It was loads of fun to see the stingrays." Daniel told Harry about the stingrays, and Harry told Daniel about seeing the different predators he had seen.

The two families headed back to the ship at the same time, but Minerva insisted on hanging back until the captain made his last call to board because she was dreading feeling sick once more. She had only been on the ship for a half an hour before she was forced once more to retreat to the cabin cursing the sea and deciding that if Albus ever suggested a cruise for a family vacation again, she would hex him into the next millennium.

**Author's Note:**

** I know that it's a really short chapter and it has taken me over a month to write it, but hopefully you guys enjoyed it. It's kind of a backwards birthday present since it's from me to you guys and it's my birthday, but oh well. And in response to SeanHicks4's review, I just screwed up on my research. I hope that this was a reasonable answer since it IS Dumbledore that we're talking about.**

**~Lily**


	21. Mischief Aboard

Chapter 21: Mischief Aboard

Minerva's seasickness returned not long after they set sail once more, but she was pleased that it seemed to not be quite as bad and she prayed desperately she'd actually be able to enjoy Christmas in just a few days.

The day after their visit in the Bahamas was Christmas Eve, and they were set to spend the entire day cruising. Minerva felt well enough to join Harry and Albus in a game of something called shuffle board, and was thrilled to hand both boys their heads as she swept the floor with them.

"How are you so good at this Min?" Harry asked slightly out of breath. While shuffleboard didn't require a whole lot of activity, Harry had been chasing the little disks all the way down the shuffleboard court to see exactly where they landed. Between running the entire game, which he wasn't used to now that he wasn't the victim of Harry hunting, and the South America humidity he was sweaty and very out of breath.

"I've had a lot of practice Harry," Minerva said with a slight smile as she passed the 11 year old a cool bottle of water. He had just barely started calling her 'Min,' and she found that she kind of liked it. At the very least she liked that he felt comfortable enough around her to shorten her name without permission.

"You used to play shuffleboard a lot?" Harry drank greedily, but didn't take his eyes off the older witch for a moment.

"No, this is actually the first time." She took a drink from a second bottle of water before starting to clean up the shuffleboard game by returning the disks and poles. She had to do it the muggle way since she couldn't risk other cruisers coming out and seeing objects magically soaring around the deck by themselves. "I was however a brilliant chaser when I was in school."

Harry could have hit himself in the forehead. She'd told him that before, but he'd forgotten. Then he looked confused once more. "How does being a chaser tie into being good at shuffleboard?"

Minerva couldn't help but laugh at that comment since it might seem a little strange if you didn't think about it right. "As a chaser you have to have a good arm and amazing aim to get the Quaffle passed the keeper through the hoop."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," the teen replied feeling a little dumb.

"Alright shuffleboard master, care to try your hand at horse shoes?" Albus piped in taking the poles from Minerva and returning them to their stand.

"Let me rest a bit Al," the Transfiguration professor replied. "While my stomach is accepting this better than before I still feel queasy if I'm up much."

"We could go to the pool," Harry piped in when Minerva suggested resting. "Then I could swim, and Albus too if he wanted, and Min could just soak in the sun for a bit as she gets control of her stomach once more."

"Sounds like a brilliant idea to me," Albus stated with his usual twinkle lighting up his eyes. "Let's head back to the cabin and get our swim things then." With that the small family went to change into their pool clothes, and then made their way to the pool deck. While it was bound to be freezing back home in England, the beautiful South America weather was very inviting.

When Albus, Harry, and Minerva arrived at the pool deck in their swim suits with their towels draped over one shoulder Harry was delighted to see the Erikson family also basking in the beautiful weather. Samuel was chasing his three children and had just managed to duck Daniel under when the Dumbledores approached. Shaking her head Minerva took a seat beside Emily who was in a turquoise bikini reading some romance novel as she soaked up the warm rays of the sun.

"Harry, you're here," Daniel spluttered as he emerged from the water. "Good, we could use your help. Dad is drowning us."

"Sounds like fun," Harry replied tossing his towel in Minerva's general direction and cannon balling right beside his new friend's father.

"Harry James, you get out and put your towel in a proper location rather than just simply throwing it anywhere you please." Minerva used her stern teacher voice and her lips were pressed tight as she glared at the dark haired child.

"But Min, I'm already in," Harry whined. He was sorely tempted to grin and point out that that rhymed, but he didn't want to get off topic. "Can't you just take care of it for me this once?"

"Absolutely not young man," the older woman insisted. "'This once' will turn out to be more than once if I let you get away with such behavior. You know better than to just drop your things wherever and if you didn't want to get out of the pool to take care of things you should have done it properly before you got in. Now you have to the count of three before I make you sit on a deck chair for 11 minutes watching everyone else play. 1..."

Harry flushed bright red and bolted out of the inviting water the instant the words left her lips. He couldn't believe she was threatening him with a timeout where everyone could see, and in front of his new friend. How old did she think he was? 5? _Well you _were_ acting like a five year old._ A small part of his brain pointed out as he snatched up the towel and laid it on a free sun chair beside Minerva. _Shut up!_ He told his inner self still scowling. "Happy?" he grumbled.

"Watch the attitude young man," was Minerva's only response as her lips pursed tighter and she fixed him with a steady warning gaze.

"Yes ma'am, sorry." This statement was much softer as Harry realized he was treading on thin ice and Minerva really didn't deserve the snark he was dishing out. With that he turned back to the Erikson kids who hastily started splashing around again trying to pretend they hadn't been watching the whole thing and Harry had to fight back a grin because he was sure he would have done the exact same thing.

This time Harry didn't bother with the elaborate entrance of a cannon ball; Minerva had kind of ruined the effect by making him get out. "So uh, what are we playing?" the chastened child asked while silently praying they stayed in the shallow water since he still couldn't swim well. He had grown more comfortable with the water the two weeks he had been at the small cottage with Albus and Minerva before school started, but neither of the adults had had much time to teach him to swim so he could barely tread water.

"It's us against dad," Becca chimed in as she jumped at Samuel from behind.

"Hey you little sea urchin," Samuel growled spinning around as fast as the water would allow him and trying to knock his daughter off his back. "Four against one isn't fair by a long shot."

"I agree," Albus gave a big grin and ran right for the pool before cannon balling right in front of both of the Erikson boys and Harry causing such a gigantic splash that Harry would have sworn he'd used magic to accomplish it.

"Hey!" spluttered all three kids as they attempted to wipe the chlorine filled water from their eyes.

"Oh for heaven's sake Albus do be careful," Minerva called exasperatedly from her place in the sun. Honestly, the man acted as if he was really young enough to be Harry's father, or brother might be better, and Minerva felt certain he was going to seriously injure himself one of these days.

"It is so fair," Becca piped up still holding tight to her father's shoulders. "Dad is way bigger than us so we need more people on our side to make it even.

"Hey, your size gives you an advantage because you can wiggle away easy and you are all little speed demons." With that Samuel flopped backwards into the water completely ducking Becca and finally getting her to release him.

"How about it becomes four on two?" Albus put in with a grin. "That ought to even out the playing field a bit. Harry eyed him suspiciously and thought that it would even out the odds only if Albus didn't use any magic. Otherwise they were all doomed.

"Sounds good to me," Samuel declared grinning just as broadly as he grabbed for Joshua, caught him, and swung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Help!" Joshua yelped just before his father released him and sent him dropping head first into the 3 feet of water. With that the war was on and all four children lunged at the two grown men ready for battle.

For over an hour the children and the father figures wrestled about in the water. Minerva about had a heart attack when Albus agreed to play something called 'chicken fight' and placed Harry on top of his shoulders. Any person that had the sense god gave a fly would know that 110 years old was much too old to be shouldering an 11 year old boy like that, and she didn't care how small he was for his age. She got a further shock when Daniel, who was on Samuel's shoulders, and lunged for Harry and the two boys started squabbling and trying to knock the other one into the water making both men do some quick steps to keep their footing for the squirming children.

Daniel, who had played this game before, managed to knock Harry off after only 5 seconds, but Harry was determined and he got back up. He'd been riding a broom since that first flying lesson, and he was certain he could manage this. He assured himself that Daniel had just gotten lucky because Harry was inexperienced. This theory was proven correct as Harry climbed back on Albus's shoulders and went at his new friend once more. This time he was ready, and the battle was on. Daniel, who had been pleased to knock Harry down so fast the first time, was startled when his friend came back with a vengeance, but he wasn't going to give up. He was a master at this game, and he felt confident that he could knock his undersized friend off the old man's shoulders once more. He had his work cut out for him however, and it was finally him that was sent overboard into the water below. The boys declared that a tie breaker was an absolute must, and it was Samuel that protested.

"Boys, this may be all fun and games to you, but it's taxing on us old folks. Let's call it quits before you give one of us a heart attack."

"Who you calling old Erikson?" Albus demanded not letting Harry off his shoulders. "I'm just getting warmed up here."

Samuel eyed Albus in surprise. While he was starting to feel wore out he had really been speaking to defend Albus. He had no idea how old the man was, but he looked like he was at least 90 and Samuel seriously didn't want to have the old man suddenly keel over; especially since he wasn't CPR certified. Seeing that Albus really did look good however, Samuel shrugged and squatted down to let his son back on his shoulders. "Alright Dumbledore, but we aren't going to show any mercy this time. You won by a slide of generosity and lenience for your senile age, but now you're getting the real deal."

"Bring it Erikson," Albus replied gleefully feeling as giddy as a child in a candy shop. The banter between the men made all four of the children laugh and the two women roll their eyes. Harry and Daniel sobered quickly however as they lunged for each other.

Daniel had practically been raised in the water and was an old champ at this game, but Harry made the first formidable opponent he'd had in a while, and the result was a game that lasted for several full minutes and quickly grabbed the attention of every person on the pool deck. The bystanders didn't take long to start taking sides, and Harry and Albus were thrilled to hear phrases of "You can take him old man!" and "teach that youngster a lesson!" It may just have been they were prejudice, but it seemed like most of the cheers were for the small boy and the ridiculously old man.

Harry could feel Albus's strength finally giving and knew he had to end this fast. After running for so long from his oversized cousin he knew that he had most of his strength in his legs. He also knew that Daniel was in great shape and able to counter most of Harry's offensive blows so their only chance was to psych the larger boy out and catch him off guard. Therefore Harry waited for one more swing from Daniel and used that to lean backwards as if he were falling off of Albus's shoulders. He did a magnificent backbend managing to stay in position by wrapping his legs tightly around Albus. Then, as Daniel raised his arms in the supposed victory, Harry swung back up to sitting like a lightning bolt and shoved the boy hard making not only Daniel go down, but also knocking Samuel over so that he too disappeared beneath the water. Harry then raised his own arms as the cheers erupted around the pool deck and Albus finally lowered him to allow the boy to scramble off his shoulders.

"How in the world did you manage that one Harry?" Daniel spluttered as he resurfaced half choking on the water he'd inhaled from his ducking.

"Magic," the dark haired child responded grinning. It wasn't true, and he knew that the other boy wouldn't believe it so he felt no problem stating it. For once in his life he could give that as an answer and not have to run like wild fire while his aunt or uncle chased him down.

After everyone had worn themselves out in the pool the two families headed in to grab a bite for lunch. Minerva agreed to a game of horseshoes and was frustrated to find it beyond her talents. While she was a good aim she just couldn't seem to get the stupid ring to stay around the pole since she was used to getting a ball through a hoop so it didn't matter how hard she threw it so long as it made it in.

After horseshoes Minerva had to rest again to settle her stomach, and Albus told Harry that he could have the rest of the day to do as he wished so Harry scampered away to find Daniel where he spent the rest of the afternoon playing videogames marveling in the luxury of being able to relax and enjoy himself without fear of his cousin making his life miserable or everyone pointing and staring at him for being The-Boy-Who-Lived.

The two boys caught a quick dinner together, and then decided to see what kind of Christmas party they had going on since it was Christmas Eve. Walking around the ship they found a ball room and Harry couldn't help but smile as he looked in and saw Albus and Minerva dancing together. He was twice her age and had taught her at school nearly 50 years ago, but they made a beautiful couple in his opinion.

Daniel and Harry joined and sang Christmas Carols as loud as they could for about a half hour before growing bored and going to see what else there was to do. On a different deck they saw a Christmas party in full swing and both boys hesitantly looked around.

"I don't really see many kids around," Harry piped up first scanning the party deck. This one wasn't full of seniors and little kids like the dance deck had been, but instead seemed to be overflowing with adults around Mr. and Mrs. Ericksons' ages. Some were a bit older and a few looked young enough to attend Hogwarts, though he would have to admit they would all be in the older years.

Daniel however, just shrugged and made his way over to a refreshment table that held heaps of all kinds of cookies as well as a punch bowl filled with a thick white drink. Daniel smiled as he recognized eggnog, and immediately began to fill a small plastic glass with it and grabbed a gingerbread cookie from the pile. "Some of these people aren't much older than us, and they wouldn't have cookies and eggnog if kids weren't able to join in. Besides, they would have had some dumb guard at the entrance to the deck to stop us."

Harry eyed the eggnog skeptically for a moment. His aunt had always been very firm about Dudley not having much of it, and that was practically the only thing she denied her perfect little angel. She said it was full of spirits and that they weren't good for little boys. She had however allowed him one glass. The couple Daniel had pointed out as his example for people not much older looked as if they were about 16 or so and were so concentrated on sucking each other's faces Harry wasn't sure he wanted to think about them being close to his age. The lack of the guard however was something Harry couldn't protest since there had been absolutely nobody to challenge their entrance. They hadn't even gotten as much as a raised eyebrow by random passerby.

"Try some of this eggnog Harry, it's really great," Daniel coaxed pouring Harry a glass of his own.

"You're sure it's safe?" Harry asked with hesitation, but he took it.

"What could possibly be wrong with eggnog?" Daniel laughed as he filled his own glass again.

"My Aunt said that eggnog has spirits in it," Harry muttered feeling really dumb. He hadn't understood what she had meant all those years he'd served it at the Dursley Christmas party, and even now that he knew about magic he still didn't know what she was talking about. He'd seen ghosts float all over Hogwarts for almost 4 months, but he still didn't have a clue how a ghost could possess a drink. As if reading his mind, Daniel about choked from laughing as he started his second cup.

"Your aunt is cracked," he stated laughing. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with eggnog, I've had it loads of times." Then he held up his half full glass in a motion to make a toast. "Oh great eggnog spirit, I beseech thee to show thyself or I shall doom thee to be vanquished by my interior digestive system."

Harry couldn't help but bust out laughing and held up his own cup. Some of the words that Daniel had just used would have made Hermione swell with pride, but Harry kept it simple. "Nothing? Well then here it goes," and with that he put the plastic cup to his lips and drank. His first sip had tasted a bit strange, but he told himself that that was because he'd never had it before and he drank it down thirstily before filling his glass again completely determined to have a good time since Daniel didn't seem at all worried. After the 2nd glass of eggnog Harry was no longer hesitant about the party they had attended and thought that eggnog was the best thing in the world.

While Daniel's claim to have enjoyed eggnog many times before was true, he hadn't realized the fact that each time he'd been offered it had been at a church Christmas party where they hadn't put the alcohol, which was the true 'spirits' that Petunia Dursley had spoken of, in it because of the children at this party. The cruise party they were attending however was indeed for adults, and the only reason they hadn't been stopped before entering the deck was because of a change of security and therefore a slight absence of the guard.

After Harry had finished his second little cup, and Daniel his third, the boys were grinning from ear to ear and ready for anything so they left the refreshment table and began seeing what kind of activities they had going on. It didn't take them long to find a table set up with several cups of eggnog on two sides and a cluster of table tennis balls. This caught their attention right away because around it was a crowd that seemed to be cheering on two men in their mid-twenties who were both standing at either end of the table. As Harry and Daniel watched, one of the young men tossed a little ball across the table, and it landed in one of the little plastic cups in front of the other man. The crowd started screaming wildly, and the one that threw the ball took a small bow while the other man picked up the cup with the ball and quickly drank down the eggnog inside it. After the quick bow, the throwing young man threw yet another small ball, and more cheering ensued as it landed in a cup just like that last time. It didn't take Harry and Daniel long to realize that if the ball landed in the cup, the one that didn't throw the ball had to drink the eggnog inside it.

The one throwing the balls made the ball go into 6 different cups before finally missing, and when he missed the drinker looked more than a little relieved but smiled and picked up a ball of his own before taking his turn to throw. He wasn't a very good aim however, and he missed the very first shot. The crowd around him laughed, and Harry and Daniel could hear the man swear violently and slap the table hard. The original thrower however, just grinned and started tossing the balls again. This trend continued a few more rounds, with the original thrower only drinking 1 of the 10 cups set before him while the drinker had been forced to finish all 10 of his. The victor held up his hands to soak in the praise and called out "who dares to challenge the nog-pong champion?"

Grinning like a chesire cat, Harry stepped forward as some of the crowd made to fill the table with the standard 20 glasses once again. "I'll give it a shot," he declared firmly and his confidence rose even further at the slap on the back Daniel gave him.

"You sure you know what you're getting in to squirt?" the 'champion' laughed. Harry just nodded and took the defeated man's place. "Aint you a bit small? You can barely see above the table top."

"Let him play Greg, it will be funny," called one of the other boys from the crowd, and instantly there was a chorus of 'let him plays' all around the circle.

"Alright, but don't come crying to me when you're puking your guts out tonight squirt," Greg declared holding his hands up in a 'truce' signal.

As soon as the 20 cups were in place, a girl with vibrant red hair cut to frame her face stepped forward and placed a cluster of balls at Harry's elbow. "You start first since you're the challenger," she stated, and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek that made him blush scarlet and make a rude hand gesture to Daniel as he cat called that would have made Minerva box his ears good.

Harry didn't know where the skill came from, but he had excellent hand-eye coordination. It was one of the reasons he was able to spot and catch the snitch so easily. Therefore, his first five shots were right on target, knocking out half of his opponents drinks in one shot. The crowd around him was going wild as Greg was forced to drink one after the other, and Harry, for once, basked in the praise of attention. His mind seemed slightly numb, and all he could think was that this was the best night ever and he was having an absolute blast. On his sixth shot however, he got over confident and swore as the ball bounced off the ridge of the cup and ended his turn.

Greg however, smiled. "Alright pip-squeak, you've been lucky so far, but that's about to change. Hope you can drink better than you can throw."

Harry felt himself grow slightly nervous at those words, but for some reason his self-confidence, which had never been high before, refused to let him think that he had anything to fear so he just smiled and replied "bring it on."

The young man grinned, but as he picked up one of the ping pong balls, it faded a little as he tried to focus on the cups in front of him. Finally he tossed, and whooped loudly as it hit its mark and sank into one of the little cups. Harry grinned and held out the cup as a toast before drinking it down without a second thought. Without thinking, he mimicked what Greg and the other boy had done, and threw his empty eggnog cup over his shoulder to clutter to the ground.

He drank two more before Greg finally missed, and found himself feeling relieved because drinking so much in such a short amount of time was making him feel sick. Still, he couldn't help but respond "that all you got big shot? Now it's my turn to show you how it's done." With that he picked up a ball of his own, that had been restocked while he was drinking, and took aim. He frowned as he realized that the cups seemed a bit fuzzier than they had previously but he put that down to drinking so quickly and the excitement from it all and just kept his focus. He only hit his mark twice this time, but Greg only hit his once when it came time, and Harry finally managed to sink his ball into Greg's last cup while 3 of his own remained.

The crowd around him screamed crazily and pounded him on the back in congratulations, but Harry found he didn't feel excited at all about beating the other boy. Instead he felt increasingly sick, and found that all he wanted to do was find a quiet place to sit down and maybe drink some water. When he tried to walk away however, some of the crowd grabbed hold of his shoulder declaring he couldn't leave yet because he was the new champion and had to accept a challenger. Harry wanted desperately to just leave, but as a pretty young woman with dark brown hair to her waist stepped forward and the glasses began to be replaced, Harry found himself consenting.

Harry's head was spinning so much that he didn't catch the name of the girl he was opposing, but she sank 4 balls her first turn and Harry did his best to drink them. He was stubborn and reminded himself that he had been forced to endure much worse than this before, so stuck to it. He managed to sink one of her cups before he missed, and couldn't help but swear as a little ball plunked into the cup nearest him. He drank it as stoically as he could, and tried to suppress a groan as another ball took refuge in another of his little cups. He picked up that cup and tried hard to ignore the feeling of bile climbing up his stomach as he drank it down. No sooner had he drained it however, than the feeling multiplied by ten and he lurched forward and instantly expelled all of the contents of his stomach right at the feet of the crowd around him. Everyone in front shrieked and jumped back, some landing on the feet of the people standing behind them, but none of it registered in Harry's brain.

"Kid, are you alright?" the girl with the short red hair stepped up to him again and rested an arm on his shoulder. Harry barely noticed as he threw up once again, but was thankful the girl didn't seem entirely disgusted with him. Instead she seemed to pity him. "Drinking all of that is rough kid; I think you need to call it quits." With that she pushed her way through the crowd and Harry found himself immensely glad for her support since his legs seemed to not want to work properly.

Daniel had been watching his friend, and when the girl led Harry away, he instantly grabbed the other side since it was clear he could barely walk. Once away from the crowd Daniel and the girl led Harry to a vacant chair and sat him down. "You ok Harry?" Daniel asked looking worriedly at his friend.

"I don't feel so good," Harry mumbled feeling like a whiny baby but not caring because his throat was on fire from puking and his stomach still seemed determined to declare war.

"Sipping some water will help," the older girl declared, and dashed away for just a moment to get Harry a clear glass of cool water. "Just sip it or it won't have a prayer of staying down and you'll just throw up again."

"Thanks," Harry mumbled accepting the little plastic cup with trembling hands. He had to hold onto it with both hands to keep from dropping it, but as he brought it too his lips he felt the cool water offer instant relief and he found himself wanting to gulp down the whole thing.

"Sip it," the girl reminded sternly pulling the cup away from Harry's lips when she saw him drink half of it at once. "I know it feels good right now, but if you don't sip you'll just get sick again."

Harry sat there for 15 minutes silently sipping his water with Daniel and the girl right beside him. He felt slightly better since he was no longer throwing up, but he was still feeling overall miserable. "I think I need to go home," he mumbled and tried to stand. Instantly he flung both hands to his head however as the room started to spin and he felt yet another urge to vomit violently.

"Yeah, I think that would be best," the girl agreed and stood to help steady him. "I don't trust you alone though, so I'll help you get there."

"I'll help too Harry," Daniel offered feeling very scared for his new friend. He didn't understand what was wrong with him, but it was clear that Harry could barely walk. Daniel himself was starting to feel a bit funny since he had been sipping at another glass of eggnog while he watched the nog-pong games.

Leaning heavily on the people on either side of him, Harry slowly made it across the deck. They didn't get far however before a security guard spotted them and made his way over. "What do you two think you are doing?" the man demanded looking sternly at Harry and Daniel. "This deck is for adults only."

"I'm taking them back to their cabin Tim," the red headed girl answered still supporting Harry. "Somehow they got past security earlier and this one," she motioned to Harry with her head, "somehow got into a nog-pong game til he finally puked his guts out."

"Zoe, why on earth did you let him play?" Tim demanded looking sternly at the girl this time, and she found herself looking at her feet.

"I'd already had two drinks and wasn't thinking about the age restriction in the excitement of seeing someone challenge Greg Barnum," Zoe admitted her face nearly as red as her hair.

"Zoe..." the guard stated shaking his head. "Alright, I can't leave my post, so I'm going to trust you to help these boys home. The smaller one looks like he's three sheets to the wind. I'll radio more security to patrol the deck and make sure we don't have any others that somehow slipped past."

"Sounds good Tim," Zoe replied with a smile before helping Daniel walk Harry the rest of the way off the party deck.

"What did he mean that deck is only for adults?" Daniel asked with a slight pout. "It was loads of fun, and it's not like they're doing anything. Harry just got sick from drinking 13 cups of eggnog in 20 minutes."

"That deck is for adults only because the eggnog has alcohol in it," Zoe explained with a sigh. It would figure the boys hadn't had a clue what was really going on. Her suspicions were confirmed as Daniel's eyes went wide.

"You mean that eggnog had beer in it?" he demanded.

"Something like that," Zoe stated stopping for a moment to wipe her brow. Harry was small for his age, but his dead weight was still hard to support, and Harry was practically no help at all.

"You said you'd had eggnog loads of times," Harry protested trying, and failing, to glare at Daniel. He too was glad for a short rest. Just moving made him feel sick.

"I have," Daniel defended firmly. "They serve it every year at the church Christmas party."

"They usually don't have alcohol in the eggnog they serve at church things since kids are expected to attend," Zoe replied. "Now where is your cabin Harry?"

"I don't know," the dark haired boy responded woefully. "I don't have a clue where I'm even at."

"I know," Daniel piped in. He'd been to the Dumbledore cabin once before, so began leading the way for the trio.

"Minerva and Albus are both going to kill me," Harry groaned as the knowledge that he was drunk fully sank in.

"I don't know your folks," Zoe responded softly, "but if they are anything like mine I'm afraid I'll have to agree with you."

"Mine too," Daniel put in woefully. While part of his brain told him that he wasn't near as drunk as Harry, he had had to admit that he was feeling slightly wobbly and a bit sick. His mum also had the eyes of a hawk and tended to notice everything.

"At least one good thing will come from my murder," Harry retorted sullenly.

"What's that?" Zoe couldn't help but laugh at the 11 year old. She didn't know the two boys from Adam, but she was the oldest of 6 kids and found that she felt a certain attraction to younger children that needed help.

"At least then I'll be put out of my misery."

**Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update, I've been struggling with this story every time I try to write it for months and it's become a chore compared to my other one. I got a pm asking about it though, so I decided to just bite the bullet and write. I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter though, so I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. What do you think of the Dumbledore family activities? What about Harry and Daniel's party? What do you think should happen next? Let me know.**

**Also, I I've only ever been to one alcoholic party and I didn't drink at it since I don't believe in drinking and I was only 18, so I may have gotten some of the details wrong. Soda-Pong was absolutely hilarious though, except for when you wanted to puke grape soda...**

**~Lily**


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